Key clinical point: Cleaning activities and dusty clothes laundry are underestimated yet potential sources of lifetime silicon dioxide (SiO 2) exposure in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA); high SiO 2 exposure increases the risk for mediastinal lymphadenopathy.
Major finding: Cleaning activities were the major source of SiO 2 exposure in women with RA and control individuals, with the exposure scores for occupational and non-occupational cleaning activities and occupational dusty work clothes laundry (all P < .05) being higher in women with RA vs control individuals and high SiO 2 exposure was associated with a greater risk for mediastinal lymphadenopathy (adjusted odds ratio 6.3; 95% CI 1.4-27.7).
Study details: This retrospective, case-control study obtained lifetime SiO 2 exposure data from the Dust Exposure Life-Course Questionnaire administered to 97 patients with RA, including 76 women who were matched with 308 control individuals from the general population.
Disclosures: The SILICOSIS Project was sponsored by the European Research Council. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Sigaux J et al. Are cleaning activities a source of exposure to crystalline silica in women with rheumatoid arthritis? A case-control study. RMD Open. 2023;9:e003205 (Aug 2). doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2023-003205