Autoimmunity and Asbestos Exposure

Table 2

Selected studies evaluating antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and rheumatoid factor (RF) among asbestos exposed subjects.

Study, year [reference]	Exposure context, fiber type	Exposed group			Comparison group			Associated w/radiologic changes
		𝑛	ANA+	RF+	𝑛	ANA+	RF+
Pernis et al. 1965 [18]	Insulation workers,; chrysotile	315	—	25%	103	—	14%
Turner Warwick and Parkes 1970 [23]	Medical screening,; mixed	80	28%	27%				Yes
Turner Warwick 1973 [33]	Medical screening,; mixed	196	20%	11.7%	—	—	—	Yes
Turner Warwick 1973 [33]	Factory workers,; unknown	252	7.5%	5.3%	—	—	—	Yes
Turner Warwick 1973 [33]	Naval personnel,; mixed	334	8.4%	3.6%	—	—	—	Yes
Lange 1980 [29]	Textile workers,; unknown	58	21%	—	19	0%	—	Yes
Toivanen et al. 1976 [34]	Asb. miners,; anthophyllite	66	1.5%	10.7%	—	—	—
Kagan et al. 1977 [35]	Subjects with asbestosis	26	7.7%	35%	45	0%	11%
Haslam et al. 1978 [36]	Subjects with asbestosis	28	35.7%	17.9%	—	—	—	Yes
Huuskonen et al. 1978 [25]	Varied: asbestos sprayers, insulators, cement, quarry	169	11.8%	22.5%	504	11%	—	No
Lange 1980 [29]	Asbestos textile workers	242	21%	10%	181	9%	—	Yes
de Shazo et al. 1983 [26]	Asbestos cement workers	31	0%	0%	51	0%	—	No
Doll et al. 1983 [37]	Asbestos cement workers	144	15%	3%	–	–	—	No
Lange 1980 [29]	Asbestos workers	39	50%	—	9	0%	—
Zerva et al. 1989 [24]	Whitewash,; tremolite (amphibole)	109	14%	—	34	34%	—	Yes; (pleural)
Tamura et al. 1993,; Tamura et al. 1996 [22, 38]	Asbestos plant workers	220	15%	3.2%	—	—	—	Yes; (interstitial)
Nigam et al. 1993 [19]	Asbestos factory milling	71	12%	1.4%	28	7%	0%
Pfau et al. 2005 [20]	Contaminated vermiculite; Amphiboles	70	70%	33%	50	40%	36%	Yes