Occupational hard metal lung disease: a case report / 中国职业医学

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical manifestations,chest imaging,pathological changes,diagnosis and treatment on one case of hard metal lung disease( HMLD).METHODS: The occupational history,clinical manifestations,chest computed tomography and lung histopathological examinations of a case with pathologically confirmed HMLD were summarized.RESULTS: The patient began to cough and have dyspnea on exertion after 7 years of hard metal dust exposure of cobalt and tungsten, and pulmonary function test showed a restrictive ventilation dysfunction.Chest computed tomography showed bilateral areas of diffuse lesions,including ground-glass attenuation,areas of consolidation,diffuse small nodules, extensive reticular opacities and traction bronchiectasis.The lung histopathological changes include macrophage interstitial pneumonia,which is macrophages and a large number of multinucleated giant cells in the alveolar space.CONCLUSION: A clear history of hard metal dust exposure and the pathological examination of lung tissue are helpful for the diagnosis of HMLD.