Iron metabolism index in patients with occupational pulmonary thesaurosis induced by dust of iron or iron compounds / 中国职业医学

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes of iron metabolism index in patients with occupational pulmonary thesaurosis induced by dust of iron or iron compounds after ending iron dust exposure for 10 years. METHODS: A total of 22 patients with occupational pulmonary thesaurosis induced by dust of iron or iron compounds were selected as study subjects.They were misdiagnosed as electric welder's pneumoconiosis in 2004-2006. After ending exposure to iron dust for 10 years,high k V X-ray photography and computed tomography of chest were conducted. Indicators of serum iron metabolism,blood routine and blood biochemical were examined. Six patients were randomly selected to detect genes of hereditary hemochromatosis. The study subjects were divided into observation group( 13 patients) and control group( 9 patients)according to the lung examination. RESULTS: The median of serum ferritin( SF) was 858. 2 μg/L. The over standard rate of SF was 77. 3%( 17/22),and the iron overload was seen in 40. 9%( 9/22) of patients. The over standard rate of serum total iron binding capacity( TIBC) was 22. 7%( 5/22). The over standard rate of serum iron was 4. 5%( 1/22).The SF level of observation group was higher than that of the control group( P < 0. 05). The SF was positively correlated with alanine aminotransferase( ALT)( P < 0. 05). The serum TIBC was positively correlated with prealbumin( P <0. 05). The serum iron were positively correlated with ALT and aspartate aminotansferase respectively( P < 0. 05). But the above 3 iron metabolism indices were not correlated with the blood routine indices,blood glucose and C-reactive protein( P > 0. 05). The six patients tested for genes of hereditary hemochromatosis were excluded from disease. CONCLUSION: There were iron metabolism abnormalities in patients with occupational pulmonary thesaurosis induced by dust of iron and iron compounds,which is related to the iron deposition in lung.