Occupational lung disease epidemiology and demographics

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1];Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Hadeel Maksoud M.D.[2]

Epidemiology and Demographics

Incidence and prevalence

There are no reliable figures for the incidence or prevalence of occupational lung disease.

• Farmer's lung:
  • The incidence for farmer's lung was 8-540 cases per 100,000 in 2012.
• Coal worker's pneumoconiosis and silicosis:
  • Among coal workers worldwide:
  • 30% developed coal worker's pneumonconiosis
  • 2.5% developed progressive massive fibrosis
  • In 30 years of exposure, 12% will develop silicosis and 20% will die from silicosis
• Asbestosis
  • In 1972, it was reported that 250,000 people were at risk in the US.

Case-fatality rate/Mortality rate

• There is no reliable data for the case-fatality rate of occupational lung disease.
• Mortality rates depend on the substance inhaled, as well as the frequency, duration and dose of inhalational exposure.
• Cardiopulmonary and genetic factors of the host also contribute to mortality rate.
• Overall, there was approximately 60,3000 deaths from work-related disease in 2012.

Age

Occupational lung disease commonly affects older individuals who have been exposed longer to a particular substance.

Race

There is no racial predilection to occupational lung disease

Gender

Males are more commonly affected by occupational lung disease than females, reflecting the occupations in which exposure is present.

Region

• Occupational lung disease, particularly, coal worker's pneumoconiosis is a common disease that tends to affect coal miners in West Virginia and Kentucky, USA and South Wales, UK.
• The United Kingdom, Sweden and France have a high prevalence of farmer's lung.
• Australia, Japan, South Africa and parts of the European Union still use Asbestos as an insulation material.