ABSTRACT
La enfermedad crónica por berilio (BC) es una enfermedad pulmonar ocupacional causada por una reacción de hipersensibilidad retardada a dicho metal. El número de trabajadores expuestos a berilio (Be) se ha incrementado en los últimos años (en Estados Unidos ha pasado de 30.000 en 1970 a 200.000 apenas 30 años después) 1. Estudios transversales llevados a cabo en trabajadores expuestos en distintos tipos de industrias han encontrado prevalencias de la enfermedad que varían de 0% a 7,8%2. En este contexto es llamativo el escaso número de beriliosis que se diagnostican, probablemente porque muchas de ellas son erróneamente diagnosticadas de sarcoidosis
Chronic beryllium disease (CDB) is an occupational retarded hypersensitivity disease elicited by beryllium exposure. The number of exposed workers has increased in the last years. (in the USA has risen from 30,000 in the 1970s to 200,000 thirty years later)1. Cross-sectional studies of exposed workers in various industries have found that the prevalence of this illness ranged from 0.0 to 7.8%2. In this context, it is remarkable that CBD is only rarely diagnosed, probably because many of them are misdiagnosed as sarcoidosis
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Adult , Occupational Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Berylliosis/diagnostic imaging , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Currently is not feasible using conventional spirometry as a screening method in Primary Care especially among smoking population to detect chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in early stages. Therefore, the FUMEPOC study protocol intends to analyze the validity and reliability of Vitalograph COPD-6 spirometer as simpler tool to aid screening and diagnosis of this disease in early stages in primary care surgery. STUDY DESIGN: An observational, descriptive study of diagnostic tests, undertaken in Primary Care and Pneumology Outpatient Care Centre at San Juan Hospital and Elda Hospital. All smokers attending the primary care surgery and consent to participate in the study will undergo a test with Vitalograph COPD-6 spirometer. Subsequently, a conventional spirometry will be performed in the hospital and the results will be compared with those of the Vitalograph COPD-6 test. DISCUSSION: It is difficult to use the spirometry as screening for early diagnose test in real conditions of primary care clinical practice. The use of a simpler tool, Vitalograph COPD-6 spirometer, can help in the early diagnose and therefore, it could improve the clinical management of the disease.
