https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2022.2345
A 44-year-old stone worker with progressive dyspnea: lessons from a new twist on an old foe
Submitted: June 2, 2022
Accepted: August 17, 2022
Published: September 13, 2022
Accepted: August 17, 2022
Abstract Views: 1042
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
Silicosis is typically an indolent lung disease caused by long-standing occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica, classically in professions such as sandblasting and mining. An increasingly popular industry that has earned particular interest because of its association with silicosis is customization and installation of artificial stone countertops for domestic applications. In addition to causing a spike in cases of chronic and accelerated silicosis, both quite familiar to respiratory clinicians, outbreaks of artificial stone silicosis have brought to the fore a historically rare entity known as acute silicosis, or silicoproteinosis, a more rapid presentation of the disease. Failure to suspect this uncommon condition can lead to diagnostic confusion and therefore ineffective treatment as was true initially of the patient we describe herein. The case description is followed by a clinical, radiological, and pathological overview of acute artificial stone silicosis (or silicoproteinosis), which is an emerging pneumoconiosis with sparse coverage in the literature to date. This case also adds to the few existing reports on the use of therapeutic whole lung lavage for silicoproteinosis.
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How to Cite
Manglani, Ravi, Sara Akbar, Mary Beth Beasley, and Oleg Epelbaum. 2022. “A 44-Year-Old Stone Worker With Progressive Dyspnea: Lessons from a New Twist on an Old Foe”. Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease 93 (2). https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2022.2345.
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