Frequency of rheumatic diseases, tuberculosis and premature deaths and related factors in patients with silicosis

<bold>Objective:</bold> Our study aimed to evaluate the clinical features, occupational histories, frequency of rheumatic diseases (RD), tuberculosis (TB) and premature death, and related factors. <bold>Methods:</bold> We reviewed the records of 345 patients in two diagnostic centers between 2007 and 2022. Results: Of the total cases 99.1% were male, the median age at diagnosis was 37 years, the median age of first exposure was 22 years, and the median duration of silica exposure was 8 years. The three most common occupations were denim sandblasting (46.7%), dental technician (21.2%), glass sandblasting (7.5%). Progressive massive fibrosis was detected in 50.3% at the time of diagnosis. The frequency of RD was 12.4%, and the frequency of TB was 32.9%. Rheumatic diseases were distributed as rheumatoid arthritis (45.9%), scleroderma (27%), undifferentiated connective tissue disease (18.9%) and systemic lupus erythematosus (8.1%), respectively. While 27.2% of the cases died, 93.6% died prematurely. In logistic regression analysis, it was determined that the frequency of RD increased as the age of first exposure to silica decreased (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 0.94, 95% Confidence Interval (CI)=0.92–0.98). It was found that the risk of premature death increased as the age of first exposure to silica decreased (aOR=0.94; %CI=0.90–0.98), and the frequency of MTB in patients who died prematurely was 2.69 times (95% CI)=1.23–5.89) was determined to be more frequent. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> Silicosis patients are a risky group in terms of the development of RD and TB, and this should be taken into consideration during the follow-up. More attention should be given to TB prevention in silicosis.