Asbestos Exposure: A Potential Cause of Retroperitoneal Fibrosis

Details

• Personal Author:
  Jarvenpaa R ; Oksa P ; Parker, John E. ; Roto P ; Sauni R
• Description:
  The etiology of retroperitoneal fibrosis is unknown in 70% of the cases. The aim of our study was to examine the possible association between occupational asbestos exposure and retroperitoneal fibrosis; only two cases have been reported in the literature. We gathered all the cases of retroperitoneal fibrosis diagnosed in the Tampere University Hospital between 1987 and 1995. We examined their hospital records to evaluate the possible etiology of the disease. We also sent a structured questionnaire to all living patients (10/13) to obtain information on their asbestos exposure. The chest radiographs of the patients were re-read to evaluate possible changes resulting from asbestos exposure. We found 13 cases of idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis. Seven patients (all male) had been exposed to asbestos in the past. The chest radiographs of the four most-exposed patients showed characteristic asbestos-related abnormalities, including bilateral pleural plaques, round atelectasis and small irregular lung opacities. In our study, we found that asbestos exposure and asbestos-induced changes in the lung and pleura were common among male retroperitoneal fibrosis patients. We suggest that occupational exposure to asbestos may be an important etiological factor for retroperitoneal fibrosis. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asbestos Dust Fibrosis Hydrocarbons Inorganic Chemicals Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Radiation Radiography Safety
• Keywords:
  Asbestos Dust Asbestos Fibers Asphalt Fumes Author Keywords: Asbestos Chest Radiograph Etiology Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Radiographic Analysis Retroperitoneal Fibrosis
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Arizona ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 9 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  418-421
• Volume:
  33
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20023324
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 1998 Apr; 33(4):418-421
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr. Ritta Sauni, Tampere Regional Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 486, FIN-33101 Tampere, Finland
• Email:
  rsau@occup.health.fi
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1998
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:22c545d06bac2f0f8cabf593aeb8631124cc3282fb87ea5daab9d578841a430bdcded685ce0114ea32af80f97b721ae139c283264971ee7f5ed86399cbf5c7d8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195829/cdc_195829_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 33.71 KB ]