Pleural plaques at autopsy in Turin: a study on 1,019 adult subjects.

Hyaline pleural plaques were searched for in 1,019 consecutive autopsies performed on adults in Turin. These pleural lesions were found in 173/706 males and 22/313 females (P less than 0.001). The difference between the sexes was not significant under the age of 50 years but was highly significant (P less than 0.001) in the age groups above 50 years. The severity of the pleural lesions has been graded according to the total area of the plaques. The most severe pleural abnormalities can be considered as connected with previous occupational exposure to asbestos.