An 85-year-old, never-smoking man presented with exertional dyspnea. He had been exposed to silica dust in the work place. Chest computed tomography revealed bronchial wall thickening without emphysema. A pulmonary function test showed airflow obstruction without impaired gas transfer. Airway hyperresponsiveness and reversibility were not evident. A transbronchial lung biopsy showed findings suggestive of mineral dust exposure, such as fibrosis and slight pigmentation of bronchioles. He was diagnosed with non-smoking chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to occupational exposure to silica dust. His symptoms were improved using an inhaled long-acting bronchodilator. The clinical characteristics of non-smoking COPD are discussed in this report.
CITATION STYLE
Tsuchiya, K., Toyoshima, M., Kamiya, Y., Nakamura, Y., Baba, S., & Suda, T. (2017). Non-smoking chronic obstructive pulmonary disease attributed to occupational exposure to silica dust. Internal Medicine, 56(13), 1701–1704. https://doi.org/10.2169/internalmedicine.56.7577
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