The aim of the study: to analyze the clinical and functional characteristics of the course of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and concomitant diseases in clean-up workers of Сhornobyl NPP (СhNPP) accident in dynamics.
Research object and methods. According to the inclusion criteria were selected for 172 patients with COPD varying severity: major group — 142 clean-up workers of СhNPP accident (mean dose of ionizing radiation 41.89±9.3 cSv, M±SD) and a group а nosological control — 30 patients not exposed to ionizing radiation. On the basis of the pulmonology department of the department of treatment of radiation consequences of Institute for Clinical Radiology of the National Research Center for Radiation Medicine, a prospective general clinical and functional examination of patients was carried out. Long-term observation for 8 years was carried out in 40 patients with COPD.
Results. It was found that in the absence of a difference in the indicators characterizing the stage of COPD, the clean-up workers of СhNPP accident had more pronounced dyspnea on the Medical Research Council scale. In the main group, concomitant diseases were more often observed, in particular ischemic heart disease, arterial hypertension, non-malignant diseases of the thyroid gland, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and the nervous system. During the dynamic observation, a tendency to an increase in the frequency of detection of clinical signs of impairment of the state of the bronchopulmonary system in all patients with COPD was noticed, but a more pronounced negative dynamics was in the group of participants of the clean-up workers of СhNPP accident.
