Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jun;66(6):484-499.
doi: 10.1002/ajim.23474. Epub 2023 Mar 21.

Restrictive spirometry pattern among construction trade workers

Stella E Hines  1 , John Dement  2 , Marianne Cloeren  1 , Kim Cranford  3 , Patricia S Quinn  4 , Knut Ringen  4
Affiliations

Restrictive spirometry pattern among construction trade workers

Stella E Hines et al. Am J Ind Med. 2023 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Spirometry-based studies of occupational lung disease have mostly focused on obstructive or mixed obstructive/restrictive outcomes. We wanted to determine if restrictive spirometry pattern (RSP) is associated with occupation and increased mortality.

Methods: Study participants included 18,145 workers with demographic and smoking data and repeatable spirometry. The mortality analysis cohort included 15,445 workers with known vital status and cause of death through December 31, 2016. Stratified analyses explored RSP prevalence by demographic and clinical variables and trade. Log-binomial regression models explored RSP risk factors while controlling for important confounders such as smoking, obesity, and comorbidities. Cox regression models explored mortality risk by spirometry category.

Results: Prevalence of RSP was very high (28.6%). Mortality hazard ratios for RSP were 1.50 for all causes, 1.86 for cardiovascular diseases, 2.31 for respiratory diseases, and 1.66 for lung cancer. All construction trades except painters, machinists, and roofers had significantly elevated risk for RSP compared to our internal reference group. RSP was significantly associated with both parenchymal and pleural changes seen by chest X-ray.

Conclusions: Construction trade workers are at significantly increased risk for RSP independent of obesity. Individuals with RSP are at increased risk for all-cause mortality as well as mortality attributable to respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and lung cancer. RSP deserves greater attention in occupational medicine and epidemiology.

Keywords: construction trades; mortality; parenchymal; pleural; restrictive spirometry pattern.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. ATS/ERS. ATS/ERS task force: standardisation of lung function testing, interpretative strategies for lung function tests. Eur Respir J. 2005;26:948-968.
    1. Aaron SD, Dales RE, Cardinal P. How accurate is spirometry at predicting restrictive pulmonary impairment? Chest. 1999;115(3):869-873. doi:10.1378/chest.115.3.869
    1. Ariza-Prota MA, Pando-Sandoval A, García-Clemente M, Jiménez H, Álvarez-Álvarez C, Casan-Clara P. Primary pulmonary botryomycosis: a bacterial lung infection mimicking lung cancer [Case study]. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2013;17(10):992-994. doi:10.5588/ijtld.12.0054
    1. Wan ES, Castaldi PJ, Cho MH, et al. Epidemiology, genetics, and subtyping of preserved ratio impaired spirometry (prism) in copdgene. Respir Res. 2014;15:89. doi:10.1186/s12931-014-0089-y
    1. Myrberg T, Lindberg A, Eriksson B, et al. Restrictive spirometry versus restrictive lung function using the gli reference values. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging. 2022;42(3):181-189. doi:10.1111/cpf.12745

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources