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ORIGINAL RESEARCHENVIRONMENTAL HEALTHDistal Airway Function in Symptomatic Subjects With Normal Spirometry Following World Trade Center Dust Exposure
Section snippets
Methods and Materials
Data from subjects referred to the New York University/Bellevue Hospital Pulmonary Function Laboratory for evaluation of respiratory symptoms following exposure to WTC dust were retrospectively analyzed. Subjects were referred from outpatient clinics including the Bellevue Hospital WTC Treatment Program. One hundred seventy-four subjects with normal spirometry results were included. Six exposure scenarios were defined: initial dust cloud, dust cleanup, involvement in rescue/recovery, residence
Results
Table 1 shows the demographic characteristics of the 174 subjects. Mean age was 44 ± 10 years. A history of asthma prior to September 11, 2001 was reported in 7%. Exposure to WTC dust varied and included exposure during cleanup activities (50%) or due to work or residence in the vicinity of the WTC (40%). All subjects were symptomatic; predominant symptoms included cough and dyspnea, and to a lesser extent wheezing and chest tightness.
Discussion
The present study investigated airway function in a cohort of subjects with new-onset respiratory symptoms after reported exposure to WTC dust/fumes in whom spirometry results were within normal limits. This cohort was specially selected because of reported exposure to WTC dust and were therefore potentially at risk for development of airway disease. Despite normal spirometry results, airway dysfunction was demonstrated based on the following: (1) elevated airway resistance and frequency
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This work was done at New York University/Bellevue Medical Center, New York, NY.
Support was provided by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences grant ES00260, September 11 recovery grant from the American Red Cross Liberty Disaster Relief Fund, and National Center for Research Resources grant M01 RR-00096.
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.