Abstract

Objective: Comorbidities are common and affect the prognosis of patients with interstitial lung diseases, but few previous studies have investigated patients with asbestosis.

Methods: We collected comorbidities and death causes of 116 patients with asbestosis treated in Oulu University Hospital. Causes of death were confirmed by autopsy in 68% of the cases.

Results: The most common comorbidities of asbestosis patients were pleural plaques (96%) and coronary artery disease (CAD; 67%). The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis was 8.6%. The most common underlying causes of death were asbestosis (36%), CAD (24%), and lung cancer (LC) (10%). CAD and LC were associated with shorter survival in adjusted analyses.

Conclusions: Patients with asbestosis have multiple comorbidities. Prevention and treatment of CAD and LC may influence the prognosis of asbestosis patients.