Clinico-Radiological Profile of Welders and Metal Fumes Exposure Patients and the Role of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Ferritin Levels in the Diagnosis of Welder’s Pneumoconiosis
Background: Welding is a widely employed industrial process that utilizes high temperatures to merge metals. This process produces certain metal fumes and toxic gases that pose a significant risk of development of respiratory disorders. Objectives: To study the clinical and radiological profile of w...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | The Journal of Association of Chest Physicians |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jacp.jacp_26_25 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1839640643171778560 |
|---|---|
| author | Sahil Singh Ruchi Arora Sachdeva Manas Kamal Sen |
| author_facet | Sahil Singh Ruchi Arora Sachdeva Manas Kamal Sen |
| author_sort | Sahil Singh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Welding is a widely employed industrial process that utilizes high temperatures to merge metals. This process produces certain metal fumes and toxic gases that pose a significant risk of development of respiratory disorders. Objectives: To study the clinical and radiological profile of welders, metal fumes exposure patients, and to study the contribution of broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) ferritin levels in the diagnosis of welder pneumoconiosis. Methods: This was a cross-sectional analytical study conducted on 74 welders and metal fumes exposure patients attending the outpatient and inpatient department of Respiratory Medicine at a tertiary care center in North India. The data were tabulated on MS-Excel (2021). Results were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19. Results: All patients were male with a mean age of 36 years. Chest pain was the most common clinical presentation, reported by 78.3% of the patients. Seventy-seven percent of the patients were non-smokers. 47.3% of the patients work as arc welders, followed by Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welders (25.7%). They get exposure to both Arc and MIG welding (12.2%), gas welding (2.7%), zinc fumes exposure (2.7%), aluminum exposure (5.4%), and copper exposure (4%), with a mean duration of exposure 14.9 years. Spirometry showed an obstructive pattern in 40.5% of the patients, a restrictive pattern in 24.3% of the patients, mixed pattern in 12.2% of the patients, and normal in 23% of the patients. Centrilobular nodules were the most frequently observed computed tomography finding, seen in 58% of the patients. The mean St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score was 39.81. Fifty-eight percent of the patients had BAL ferritin levels exceeding 200 ng/mL. Conclusions: BAL ferritin levels correlate with the duration of exposure and the respiratory morbidity in welders; thus, can be used as predictors of lung fibrosis and in the diagnosis of welder pneumoconiosis. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0c8f858659eb44af9fb8e47c7ce8d67f |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2320-8775 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal of Association of Chest Physicians |
| spelling | doaj-art-0c8f858659eb44af9fb8e47c7ce8d67f2025-07-03T09:39:24ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsThe Journal of Association of Chest Physicians2320-87752025-04-01132636910.4103/jacp.jacp_26_25Clinico-Radiological Profile of Welders and Metal Fumes Exposure Patients and the Role of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Ferritin Levels in the Diagnosis of Welder’s PneumoconiosisSahil SinghRuchi Arora SachdevaManas Kamal SenBackground: Welding is a widely employed industrial process that utilizes high temperatures to merge metals. This process produces certain metal fumes and toxic gases that pose a significant risk of development of respiratory disorders. Objectives: To study the clinical and radiological profile of welders, metal fumes exposure patients, and to study the contribution of broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) ferritin levels in the diagnosis of welder pneumoconiosis. Methods: This was a cross-sectional analytical study conducted on 74 welders and metal fumes exposure patients attending the outpatient and inpatient department of Respiratory Medicine at a tertiary care center in North India. The data were tabulated on MS-Excel (2021). Results were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19. Results: All patients were male with a mean age of 36 years. Chest pain was the most common clinical presentation, reported by 78.3% of the patients. Seventy-seven percent of the patients were non-smokers. 47.3% of the patients work as arc welders, followed by Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welders (25.7%). They get exposure to both Arc and MIG welding (12.2%), gas welding (2.7%), zinc fumes exposure (2.7%), aluminum exposure (5.4%), and copper exposure (4%), with a mean duration of exposure 14.9 years. Spirometry showed an obstructive pattern in 40.5% of the patients, a restrictive pattern in 24.3% of the patients, mixed pattern in 12.2% of the patients, and normal in 23% of the patients. Centrilobular nodules were the most frequently observed computed tomography finding, seen in 58% of the patients. The mean St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score was 39.81. Fifty-eight percent of the patients had BAL ferritin levels exceeding 200 ng/mL. Conclusions: BAL ferritin levels correlate with the duration of exposure and the respiratory morbidity in welders; thus, can be used as predictors of lung fibrosis and in the diagnosis of welder pneumoconiosis.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jacp.jacp_26_25bal ferritinspirometrywelder pneumoconiosis |
| spellingShingle | Sahil Singh Ruchi Arora Sachdeva Manas Kamal Sen Clinico-Radiological Profile of Welders and Metal Fumes Exposure Patients and the Role of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Ferritin Levels in the Diagnosis of Welder’s Pneumoconiosis The Journal of Association of Chest Physicians bal ferritin spirometry welder pneumoconiosis |
| title | Clinico-Radiological Profile of Welders and Metal Fumes Exposure Patients and the Role of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Ferritin Levels in the Diagnosis of Welder’s Pneumoconiosis |
| title_full | Clinico-Radiological Profile of Welders and Metal Fumes Exposure Patients and the Role of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Ferritin Levels in the Diagnosis of Welder’s Pneumoconiosis |
| title_fullStr | Clinico-Radiological Profile of Welders and Metal Fumes Exposure Patients and the Role of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Ferritin Levels in the Diagnosis of Welder’s Pneumoconiosis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Clinico-Radiological Profile of Welders and Metal Fumes Exposure Patients and the Role of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Ferritin Levels in the Diagnosis of Welder’s Pneumoconiosis |
| title_short | Clinico-Radiological Profile of Welders and Metal Fumes Exposure Patients and the Role of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Ferritin Levels in the Diagnosis of Welder’s Pneumoconiosis |
| title_sort | clinico radiological profile of welders and metal fumes exposure patients and the role of bronchoalveolar lavage ferritin levels in the diagnosis of welder s pneumoconiosis |
| topic | bal ferritin spirometry welder pneumoconiosis |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jacp.jacp_26_25 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sahilsingh clinicoradiologicalprofileofweldersandmetalfumesexposurepatientsandtheroleofbronchoalveolarlavageferritinlevelsinthediagnosisofwelderspneumoconiosis AT ruchiarorasachdeva clinicoradiologicalprofileofweldersandmetalfumesexposurepatientsandtheroleofbronchoalveolarlavageferritinlevelsinthediagnosisofwelderspneumoconiosis AT manaskamalsen clinicoradiologicalprofileofweldersandmetalfumesexposurepatientsandtheroleofbronchoalveolarlavageferritinlevelsinthediagnosisofwelderspneumoconiosis |