The Value of Beryllium Determinations in the Diagnosis of Berylliosis
| Autor: | Frank R. Dutra, J. Cholak, Hubbard Dm |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1949 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
business.industry Berylliosis chemistry.chemical_element Autopsy General Medicine medicine.disease Acute berylliosis Dermatology respiratory tract diseases chemistry Beryllium Compound Clinical diagnosis Immunology medicine Humans Sputum Beryllium medicine.symptom business Pneumonitis |
| Zdroj: | American Journal of Clinical Pathology. 19:229-234 |
| ISSN: | 1943-7722 0002-9173 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/ajcp/19.3.229 |
| Popis: | Since the recognition of acute and chronic pulmonary berylliosis,'' it has been found that the clinical diagnosis of this disease, especially the chronic form, may sometimes be quite difficult. In all cases of acute berylliosis a history has been obtained of occupational exposure to beryllium preceding the onset of symptoms. Some of the persons who developed chronic disease were also working in the beryllium industry at the time of the onset of symptoms, but in other instances exposure to beryllium had ceased as long as four years before symptoms appeared. We have encountered non-occupational chronic berylliosis in at least 9 persons who lived in the neighborhood of beryllium plants or handled the clothing of those working in beryllium plants. It was believed that in some obscure illnesses in which berylliosis was suspected, examination for beryllium in fluids or tissues of the patients might aid in establishing or excluding this diagnosis. Accordingly, attempts were made to secure 24-hour samples of urine from patients who were ill with acute or chronic berylliosis and, as a control, from healthy persons currently working in beryllium plants. Analyses were also made of the urine of persons who had recovered from acute pulmonary berylliosis, some of whom were again working in the industry. Analyses of sputum and blood samples were made in a few instances and of renal calculi from 4 persons with chronic berylliosis. In some fatal cases in which the subjects came to autopsy, tissues were obtained for analysis. In addition, tissues were analyzed from 11 persons who had had no known exposure to beryllium, including 7 who had died of Boeck's sarcoid with pulmonary involvement. An accurate spectrographs method for the determination of minute quantities of beryllium in organic material •• was employed. Some of the results were obtained in our earliest application of the analytic method, when a number of sources of contamination by traces of beryllium were not recognized or suspected. AVith increasing experience with the method, it was possible to eliminate or minimize these contaminations, so that re-examination in questionable cases definitely established the presence or absence of beryllium. Such a re-examination was not possible in every case and a few of the extremely low positive findings may in fact represent contamination. I t is believed that the positive results obtained in twof of eleven tissues from persons who had had no known exposure to beryl |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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