<unk> s have long been described since the Egyptian and Roman empires existed. Dr. Benardino Ramazzini, described as the "father of<unk>  medicine" was first to coin the term<unk>  of workers" in the 17th century.<unk>  may be classified according to the type of inhalant into 3 groups: inorganic dust, organic dust, and agents other than inorganic and organic dust.As the particles accumulate, the body's elimination mechanisms begin to fail, resulting in activation of chemotactic factors that exacerbate the inflammatory response, and subsequently lead to fibrosis.<unk>  may be caused by organic dust such as thermophilic and true fungi, and bacteria and animal proteins, or by inorganic dust such as, silicates, carbons and metals, or by agents other than organic or inorganic dusts such as, chemicals, gases, fumes, vapors and aerosols. Incidence, prevalence and mortality rates for<unk>  are not well documented and are unreliable.<unk>  manifestation is correlated to the frequency, duration and dose of inhalational exposure.<unk>  has no predilection to race or gender, however, males tend to work in environments where exposure is common, therefore more males suffer from<unk> .<unk> , particularly, coal worker's pneumoconiosis is a common<unk>  that tends to affect coal miners in West Virginia and Kentucky, USA and South Wales, UK. Common risk factors in the development of<unk>  include smoking, genetic susceptibility, cardiovascular<unk> , and frequency, intensity and duration of exposure. If left untreated, patients with<unk>  may progress to develop pleural effusion, interstitial<unk>  fibrosis, and<unk>  cancer. Common complications of of<unk>  include interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, progressive massive fibrosis, mesothelioma, and premature death. The initial study of choice for the diagnosis of<unk>  is a chest x-ray. The findings on x ray that are suggestive of<unk>  include, pleural thickening, plaques, calcifications, opacities and atelectasis. A positive history of<unk>  exposure to a particular agent with progressive worsening of respiratory symptoms including dyspnea, cough and fatigue. The most common symptoms of<unk>  include cough, shortness of breath, and wheezing.  Physical examination of patients with<unk>  is usually remarkable for bronchial breathing, increased vocal resonance, and fine crepitations.  A chest x-ray is the cornerstone of diagnosis in<unk> . Findings on an x-ray suggestive of<unk>  include pleural thickening, pleural plaques, pleural abnormalities, calcification, small or large opacities, costophrenic angle obliteration, atelectasis, pneumothorax, parenchymal bands, enlarged hilar or mediastinal lymph nodes, bullae and granulomata. A high resolution chest CT scan or "thin-section" CT may be helpful in the further diagnosis of<unk> . Findings on CT scan suggestive of<unk>  include nodules with sharp margination, opacities, lymph node hyperplasia and egg shell calcification, and interlobular septal thickening and intralobular lines. The mainstay of treatment for<unk>  is medical therapy. Surgery is usually reserved for patients with progressive massive fibrosis or<unk>  cancer. Effective measures for the primary prevention of<unk>  include the prevention of smoking and smoking cessation, health awareness, and routine surveillance. Certain materials have been abolished from use in industry such as asbestos. Also reducing exposure through the use of medical masks and respirators, robots, isolation of harmful processes, ventilation, limiting exposure hours, maintenance of dust control systems, and the use of warning signs.
Occupational lung disease
Occupational asthma
Chemical pneumonitis
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Chronic bronchitis
Exercise induced asthma
Asbestosis
Tuberculosis