Chest pain in asbestos and silica-exposed workers

Background Chest pain may be the first symptom of developing respiratory malignancy, particularly in subjects with asbestos exposure, yet little information exists on this topic. Aims To investigate chest pain in a cohort of subjects exposed to asbestos and silica dust applying for compensation. Methods Cross-sectional study using a standardized questionnaire. Data collection included: smoking history, Medical Research Council scales of exercise capacity and respiratory symptoms. Results We studied 621 subjects. Six disease groups were categorized: asbestosis (n = 27), diffuse pleural thickening (DPT) (132), asbestosis and DPT (14), silicosis (26), pleural plaques only (160) and healthy subjects with a history of dust exposure (256). Crude prevalence rates of chest pain were high, with chest pain approximately twice as common in subjects with asbestos-related disorders and silicosis as in healthy subjects, with an overall frequency of similar to 40%. However, when other variables were taken into account in a multivariate analysis the differences between groups disappeared. The factor most significantly related to chest pain was age. Conclusions Chest pain is apparently common in subjects with asbestos-related disorders and silicosis, but after adjustment for other variables, no increased prevalence was apparent in subjects with pleural disorders. More sophisticated questionnaires and dedicated imaging are required to elucidate this further.