A 2019 study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine highlighted how some workers are at a higher risk for developing certain medical conditions than others.
The researchers pointed out that agricultural or metal workers and firefighters are more apt to receive a sarcoidosis diagnosis than others and highlighted why this is the case.
What is sarcoidosis?
Sarcoidosis is a relatively rare lung condition that results in a patient developing inflammatory cell clusters all about their bodies. While they’re most commonly found in the lymph nodes and lungs, it’s not uncommon for patients to also have those cells in their heart, eyes and along their skin. These granulomas can cause a patient to suffer swelling and discomfort along their joints, fatigue, an irregular heartbeat, chest pain and even organ failure.
The Mayo Clinic estimates less than 200,000 patients are newly diagnosed with this condition every year in the U.S.
What occupational hazards lead to sarcoidosis?
The researchers of the above-referenced study determined that nearly 33% of patients who receive sarcoidosis diagnoses can attribute the onset of their condition to various work hazards. The hazards that result in their diagnosis with this potentially deadly condition include exposure to gas and other toxic vapors as well inhaled dust.
How do workers come to realize that they have sarcoidosis?
Sarcoidosis is like many other job-related occupational diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis. It incubates in a patient’s body for quite some time before they start to show signs of being unwell. Many sarcoidosis patients end up being diagnosed with their condition by happenstance when receiving a chest X-ray for some other reason. Others develop related system failure, and doctors discover sarcoidosis as they try to rule out differential diagnoses.
What’s the prognosis like for sarcoidosis patients?
Many patients experience a sudden onset of symptoms and have them disappear soon after that. This condition may affect other patients more acutely and on a chronic basis.
Getting in front of the right Philadelphia doctors and paying for your care may be quite costly if you take things into your own hands. An attorney can advise you how Pennsylvania workers’ compensation laws may allow you to receive both qualified and compensated care when you need it most, though.