silicon and Bronchial-Diseases

We report a case of a 35 year-old-man with dermatomyositis associated with tracheopathia osteoplastica. The swallowing perturbation secondary to myositis and airway involvement by tracheopathia induced fatal outcome. Tracheopathia osteoplastica is a rare disease and occurs exclusively in men over the age of 50. The association of two rarest disease is not a fortuitous event. The common pathogenic factor may be, in this case, the occupational exposure to silicon.

Topics: Adult; Age Factors; Airway Obstruction; Bronchial Diseases; Dermatomyositis; Humans; Male; Ossification, Heterotopic; Sex Factors; Silicon; Silicosis; Tracheal Diseases

A comparative study was made of the action of 5 intratracheally introduced dusts (of manganese, silicon, potassium, natrium, calcium, fluorine, and iron) on the cardio-respiratory system. A more marked biologic activity of the hard component of welding aerosols with a high content of fluorine, potassium and soluble manganese compounds was established. This was proved by structural damages, such as atelectasis, emphysema, bronchiectasis in the lungs, dystrophic developments in the contractual myocardium, a sharp decrease in the luminescent intensity of the adrenergic terminals in the myocardium. All the welding dust samples did not display a fibrogenous activity in any degree.

Topics: Aerosols; Animals; Bronchial Diseases; Dust; Fluorine; Heart Diseases; Iron; Lung Diseases; Male; Manganese; Occupational Exposure; Potassium; Rats; Silicon; Sodium; Welding