Rheumatoid factor in serum of individuals exposed to asbestos

Our plain-English summary of Rheumatoid factor in serum of individuals exposed to asbestos, by B. Pernis, E.C. Vigliani, I.J. Selikoff (Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1965).

The study

• Authors: B. Pernis, E.C. Vigliani, I.J. Selikoff
• Journal: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
• Published: 1965;132(1):112-20
• Cited by: 70 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy.

In plain English

This study measured rheumatoid factors in the blood serum of 315 male asbestos insulation workers and 103 apparently healthy male controls over 40 years of age. Rheumatoid factors are blood substances that react with gamma globulins, a type of antibody. The workers were aged 20 to 78 and had been exposed to asbestos dust for 1 to 54 years. Most had asbestosis visible on X-ray, graded 1 to 3. Results differed significantly from the controls only in workers with grade 2 or 3 asbestosis. In these groups, 21.0 per cent and 15.9 per cent respectively had a test level (titer) of 1:320 or more. The factor mostly reacted with human rather than rabbit gamma globulin. Within an X-ray grade, age did not seem to affect the results. Of the eight highest-titer sera, only one showed very small amounts of intermediate complexes. Eight rabbits injected with chrysotile showed no rheumatoid-factor-like activity in blood taken 8 and 16 days later. The authors concluded that the most likely cause of the increased rheumatoid factors in advanced asbestosis was the disease process itself.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Cross-sectional serological survey comparing asbestos workers with controls, plus a small animal experiment in rabbits
• Who was studied: 315 male asbestos insulation workers aged 20 to 78, most with X-ray asbestosis graded 1 to 3. Workers who also had pulmonary tuberculosis, lung cancer or rheumatoid arthritis were excluded. There were 103 controls, apparently healthy males all over 40 years of age. Eight adult rabbits were also studied. Location and dates of sampling are not stated.
• Exposure: Asbestos dust in insulation work for 1 to 54 years; the fiber type for the workers is not stated. The rabbits received 200 mg of finely ground chrysotile by intravenous injection, then the same amount by intratracheal injection 48 hours later.
• Main results:
  • Compared with the controls, a significantly different distribution of rheumatoid factor titers was found only in workers with X-ray grade 2 or 3 asbestosis
  • A hemagglutination titer of 1:320 or more was found in 21.0 per cent of workers with grade 2 asbestosis and 15.9 per cent of those with grade 3
  • The factor found in the workers reacted mainly with human, not rabbit, gamma globulins
  • An increased incidence was seen with over 15 years of exposure. The authors considered this to reflect that grade 2 or 3 asbestosis occurs mainly among long-exposed workers.
  • Among workers with asbestosis of a given X-ray category, age did not appear to influence the results
  • Of the eight sera with the highest titers examined by ultracentrifuge, only one showed very small amounts of intermediate sedimenting complexes
  • No rheumatoid-factor-like activity was found in the eight rabbits treated with chrysotile, bled 8 and 16 days after treatment
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the most likely cause of the increased frequency and levels of rheumatoid factors in advanced asbestosis is the disease process itself. They considered the blood abnormality more likely a consequence than a cause of asbestosis.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Asbestosis.

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• An epidemiological survey of immunological abnormalities in asbestos workers. I. Nonorgan and organ-specific autoantibodies — A. Lange (1980)
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• Comparison of serum biochemical markers in patients with mesothelioma and pleural plaques versus healthy individuals exposed to environmental asbestos — İ. Döngel, A. Akbaş, et al. (2019)

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