Elwood P C, McAulay I R, McLarin R H, Pemberton J, Carey G C, Merrett J D
Br J Ind Med. 1966 Jul;23(3):188-93. doi: 10.1136/oem.23.3.188.
The association between the prevalence of both byssinosis and chronic bronchitis and the level of airborne dust was examined in workers in preparing departments in flax mills in Northern Ireland. A weak association between the dust level and byssinosis was found but not between the dust level and chronic bronchitis. It is suggested that the disparity of these associations may have arisen because the diagnosis of byssinosis, as in most recent published studies, was based on relatively acute and reversible symptoms which are more likely to be closely related to the current dust levels than the slowly developing symptoms on which the diagnosis of chronic bronchitis was based. Furthermore an association between chronic bronchitis and the dust levels is likely to be obscured to some extent by the effects of other non-industrial respiratory irritants such as tobacco smoke. Some hypotheses of the basic aetiology of byssinosis are discussed.
在北爱尔兰亚麻厂的准备车间工人中，研究了棉尘病和慢性支气管炎的患病率与空气中粉尘水平之间的关联。发现粉尘水平与棉尘病之间存在微弱关联，但粉尘水平与慢性支气管炎之间无关联。有人认为，这些关联存在差异可能是因为，与大多数近期发表的研究一样，棉尘病的诊断基于相对急性且可逆的症状，这些症状比慢性支气管炎诊断所依据的缓慢发展的症状更可能与当前粉尘水平密切相关。此外，慢性支气管炎与粉尘水平之间的关联可能在一定程度上被其他非工业性呼吸道刺激物（如烟草烟雾）的影响所掩盖。文中讨论了棉尘病基本病因的一些假说。
