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Systemic sclerosis due to crystalline silica exposure among jewelry workers in Korea: two case reports
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Jae Yoon Kim, Sang Yoon Do, Young Hoon Moon, Chul Gab Lee, Yun Sung Kim, Byung Soon Choi, Eun-A Kim, Han Soo Song
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Ann Occup Environ Med 2017;29:18. Published online June 19, 2017
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40557-017-0176-x
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Abstract
PDFPubReaderePub
- Background
Occupational exposure to crystalline silica is a potential risk factor for various systemic autoimmune diseases including systemic sclerosis. The etiology of systemic sclerosis is not conclusively known, but there are epidemiological studies that show the relationship between exposure to crystalline silica and risk of systemic sclerosis. Here we report, for the first time, two cases of crystalline silica-related systemic sclerosis in patients who worked in crystal processing in the jewelry-manufacturing field. Case presentationCase 1 is a 57-year-old man who had worked mainly in crystal processing for multiple jewelry-processing companies for 17 years, since the age of 15 years. He contracted tuberculosis at the age of 25 years and showed Raynaud’s phenomenon of both the hands and feet at age 32 years. Digital cyanosis and sclerosis developed at approximately age 41 years. The patient was diagnosed with systemic sclerosis at age 48 years. Case 2 is a 52-year-old man who worked in crystal processing for various jewelry-processing companies for 7 years, since the age of 23 years. He first showed signs of cyanosis in the third and fourth digits of both hands at age 32 years, was diagnosed with Raynaud’s syndrome at age 37 years, and was diagnosed with systemic sclerosis at age 38 years. Crystal processing is a detailed process that involves slabbing and trimming the selected amethyst and quartz crystals, which requires close proximity of the worker’s face with the target area. In the 1980s and 1990s, the working hours were 12 h per day, and the working environment involved 15 workers crowded into a small, 70-m2 space with poor ventilation. ConclusionTwo workers who processed crystals with a maximum crystalline silica content of 56.66% developed systemic sclerosis. Considering the epidemiological and experimental evidence, exposure to crystalline silica dust was an important risk factor for systemic sclerosis. An active intervention is necessary to reduce exposure in similar exposure groups in the field of jewelry processing.
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Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
- Systemic Sclerosis in Males—Deciphering the Enigma of Erasmus Syndrome
Reena K. Sharma, Mudita Gupta Indian Journal of Dermatology.2024; 69(1): 48. CrossRef - Silikose und systemische Sklerose bei einem Steinmetz
Ulrike Brückner, Elisabeth Bonifer, Joachim Schneider Zentralblatt für Arbeitsmedizin, Arbeitsschutz und Ergonomie.2023; 73(5): 247. CrossRef - A Pathological Study of Acute Pulmonary Toxicity Induced by Inhaled Kanto Loam Powder
Yoshimi Kobayashi, Akinori Shimada, Takehito Morita, Kenichiro Inoue, Hirohisa Takano International Journal of Molecular Sciences.2018; 19(2): 416. CrossRef - Erasmus syndrome: systemic sclerosis and silicosis co‐occurrence
Zühre Sarı Sürmelİ, Nurdan Oruçoğlu International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.2018; 21(6): 1326. CrossRef
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