R. Kusiak et al., COR-PULMONALE AND PNEUMOCONIOTIC LUNG-DISEASE - AN INVESTIGATION USING HOSPITAL DISCHARGE DATA, American journal of industrial medicine, 24(2), 1993, pp. 161-173
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.