COR-PULMONALE AND PNEUMOCONIOTIC LUNG-DISEASE - AN INVESTIGATION USING HOSPITAL DISCHARGE DATA

Cor pulmonale has been reported in the past to be associated with pneu moconiosis as an end-stage complication. However, whether the associat ion can be demonstrated among cases of pneumoconiosis acquired in more recent decades is not clear. We examined the relation between these c onditions using data summarized in hospital records in Ontario for mal es discharged between 1979 and 1990 with a diagnosis of chronic cor pu lmonale or one of the pneumoconioses. Based on the age-specific freque ncy rates, cor pulmonale was diagnosed 17 (95% confidence interval 13- 22) times more frequently than expected among men diagnosed with pneum oconiosis than among other men admitted to hospital. Our investigation indicates that cor pulmonale still appears to be associated with dust exposure in the workplace, and it demonstrates the usefulness of hosp ital discharge information in addressing questions in occupational hea lth. However, we recommend that hospital medical records be examined t o confirm the diagnoses and to determine the smoking histories of thes e men. (C) 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.