[The characteristics of the development and course of pneumoconiosis under the conditions of a mountain climate].

Abstract

Analysis of pneumoconiosis course in workers exposed to dust in the mines of different altitudes showed, that the increased altitude augmented mountainous hypobaric hypoxia hasten the development of pneumoconiotic process and increase the number of nodular pneumoconiosis growing progressively worse. Pneumoconiosis develops considerably earlier and nodular forms predominate in the newcomers than in native workers. The frequency of such complications, as chronic bronchitis, asthmatic syndrome decreases in accordance with increasing of altitude which can be explained by the features of inhabitants' immunologic status and peculiarity of the mountainous climate.