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Byssinosis

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

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

Symptoms:

• History of exposure to dusts from textile manufacture
• Worsening of symptoms at the beginning of the work week
• Improvement of symptoms while away from the workplace
• Chest tightness
• Cough
• Wheezing

Signs and tests:

Your health care provider will take a detailed medical history, including many questions to try to relate your symptoms to specific exposures or times of exposure. A physical exam, with special attention to the lungs is also done. Other tests include:

• Chest x-ray
• Pulmonary function tests (especially repeated throughout the work day or work week during exposure)

• 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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