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Byssinosis

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Definition:

Byssinosis is an occupational disease of the lungs caused by inhalation of cotton dust or dusts from other vegetable fibers such as flax, hemp, or sisal. See also occupational asthma .

Alternative Names:

Cotton worker's lung; Cotton bract disease; Mill fever

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Inhalation of the dust produced by industrial processing of textiles can cause byssinosis. An asthma-like condition results from exposure to dust in sensitive individuals.

Preventative measures in the U.S. have reduced the number of cases, but it remains common in developing countries. Smoking increases the risk for this disease. Repeated exposure to the offending substances may lead to chronic lung disease and shortness of breath or wheezing.

• Review Date: 8/10/2005
• Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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