Load tests in the diagnosis of dust pathology of the respiratory system

The influence of aerosols of fibrogenic action on the state of the cardiorespiratory system in dust-hazardous industries does not lose its significance over the years since the pathology of the respiratory organs gradually develops in working-age workers. Continuous medical monitoring of the health status of the working population, improvement of diagnostic research methods and their application at the early stages of exposure to harmful industrial factors will help prevent the development of occupational diseases and preserve the ability to work professional aptitude.  Objective. To study the relationship between the state of the cardiorespiratory system and exercise tolerance based on the results of a 6-minute walk test in patients with dust pathology of the respiratory organs.  Material and methods. 193 men with confirmed pneumoconiosis (79 people), occupational chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (58 people) and those in contact with the dust factor at work without respiratory pathology (56 people) were examined using echocardiography, spirometry, bodyplethysmography, a 6-minute walking load test with simultaneous monitoring of blood oxygen saturation (saturation) and pulse. Results. The correlation of the results of the 6-minute test with the functional state of the cardiorespiratory system of the subjects was revealed. The oxygen saturation of the blood during the exercise test was confirmed to show a different relationship with the indices of bodyplethysmography and spirometry, characterizing the central pathogenetic moments of the formation of respiratory failure.  Conclusion. characteristic changes in saturation during the test with a 6-minute walk make an accessible and at the same time significant contribution to the diagnosis of respiratory organs in workers of dust-hazardous occupations.