[Pulmonary surfactant and dust-induced diseases of the respiratory organs in coal miners].

Surface activity and biochemical composition of pulmonary surfactant was studied in patients with anthracosilicosis and chronic dust-induced bronchitis. Significant impairment was found of surface-active properties of the surfactant during the course of development of the above conditions but different functional state of the pulmonary surfactant system determines dissimilarity in the natural course of the conditions in question. Suppression of the phospholipids synthesis in patients with anthracosilicosis contributes to the predominance of the processes of damaging the alveolar epithelium as well as pneumofibrosis and fatty infiltration of the pulmonary tissue while increase in the amount of pulmonary surfactant in patients with dust-induced bronchitis brings about predominant development of obstructive, bronchospastic and inflammatory changes. Study of the state of pulmonary surfactant in patients with dust-induced diseases of the respiratory organs suggest it is not useful to classify anthracosilicosis and dust-induced bronchitis under the same term "dust-induced disease of the lungs".