Lung diseases in agriculture – LRF Väst helps

During the autumn semester, LRF väst, with the help of doctors at the Department of Clinical Immunology at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, offered pills of various kinds. This is to help them in their work in diagnosing lung diseases among farmers. Karl Eckerström, MD, tells more about immunological diseases in agriculture.

The Department of Clinical Immunology at Sahlgrenska University Hospital diagnoses autoimmune and immunodeficiency diseases as well as allergies and hypersensitivity reactions. Among others, the so-called “farmer's lung” or “threshing dust lung” – an autoimmune disease that occurs mainly among farmers.

LRF helps with raw materials

In order to assist doctors at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in their work to diagnose patients with Tröskdammlunga, LRF helped during the autumn semester with raw materials in the form of grains of all types of cereals. Karl Eckerström, MD and lecturer in clinical immunology, thanks LRF for the help while telling us more about the case and the work they do in the immunology laboratory.

Hypersensitivity pneumonia, the medical term for the group of diseases that includes thresh dust lung, is a type of hypersensitivity reaction resulting from repeated inhalation of organic dust from, for example, straw or grain. This disease most often affects people who work in professions in which they spend a lot of time and for a long period in environments with a lot of organic dust. For example, farmers but also bakers, people who work in sawmills and so on. In order to diagnose and ultimately treat patients, we use a method where we extract an extract from, for example, semen. We then use this extract to test whether patients have antibodies. Therefore, we are of course grateful that LRF helped us by providing raw materials in the form of different types of grains to produce the extracts, says Karl.

Karl also talks about symptoms that might be helpful to pay attention to. At the same time, he made sure to point out that one should not worry unnecessarily.

– I think it is important to point out that in the vast majority of cases there is no cause for concern, but if you know that over the years you have lived in environments with a lot of dust and you have inhaled a lot of dust, then of course it can be good to be aware of prolonged symptoms. . For example, shortness of breath, wheezing in the lungs, and poor lung function in general. You can say you have COPD-like symptoms even though you haven't smoked, Karl continues.

Solid advice

For professional growers who want to take preventative measures, Karl has clear, concrete advice.

– What you can do yourself for preventive purposes is above all to reduce the amount of dust you are exposed to. So try to think about how long you will be staying in dusty environments as well as the equipment you are using. As the technological development of machinery, ventilation and equipment advances, the percentage of farmers who develop hypersensitivity to different types of dust has also decreased, Karl continues.

Despite the fact that farmers are one of the occupational groups over-represented among those who develop hypersensitivity pneumonia, Karl also wants to take the opportunity to highlight another side of the coin.

– While it may seem grim that you as a farmer can develop hypersensitivity reactions, I also think it is worth mentioning the hygiene hypothesis of allergies. So that a certain level of dirt and infectious agents strengthens the immune system and reduces the risk of allergies. Because although allergies are on the rise in the Western world, it has been observed that those who live in the countryside and are active in agriculture have much less allergies. Especially those who are in contact with herds of animals. It has also been noted that children of farmers do not suffer from asthma to the same extent as non-farmers. So in the end, it's a bit of a balancing act. Although one should be careful about inhaling dust, exposure to some dirt is not necessarily all bad or something to worry about, concludes Karl.

Pontus Weddle
Regional Outreach LRF West
[email protected]
010-184 26 28