Barber CM, Burton CM, Hendrick DJ, Pickering CAC, Robertson AS, Robertson W, Burge PS. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis in workers exposed to metalworking fluids.
Am J Ind Med 2014;
57:872-80. [PMID:
24954921 PMCID:
PMC4143953 DOI:
10.1002/ajim.22337]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Background
This study used data from a large UK outbreak investigation, to develop and validate a new case definition for hypersensitivity pneumonitis due to metalworking fluid exposure (MWF-HP).
Methods
The clinical data from all workers with suspected MWF-HP were reviewed by an experienced panel of clinicians. A new MWF-HP Score was then developed to match the “gold standard” clinical opinion as closely as possible, using standard diagnostic criteria that were relatively weighted by their positive predictive value.
Results
The new case definition was reproducible, and agreed with expert panel opinion in 30/37 cases. This level of agreement was greater than with any of the three previously utilized case definitions (agreement in 16–24 cases). Where it was possible to calculate, the MWF-HP Score also performed well when applied to 50 unrelated MWF-HP cases.
Conclusions
The MWF-HP Score offers a new case definition for use in future outbreaks. Am. J. Ind. Med. 57:872–880, 2014. © 2014 The Authors. American Journal of Industrial Medicine Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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