NEW YORK, Feb 6, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- First responders to the Sept. 11,
2001, World Trade Center attack in New York are still experiencing health
effects, researchers said.
Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers in New York compared baseline
respiratory examinations in WTC responders with follow-up examinations that
occurred a minimum of 18 months after baseline.
At the follow-up examination, 24.1 percent of 3,160 people checked still had
abnormal spirometry findings -- pulmonary function tests measuring lung
function, with the predominant defect being a low forced vital capacity.
The study found that the majority of WTC responders had normal decline in lung
function between the baseline and follow-up exams, but initial bronchodilator
response -- decreasing airway resistance -- and weight gain were significantly
associated with greater-than-normal lung function declines.
The researchers conclude that the continued presence of lung function
abnormalities in WTC responders warrants longer-term monitoring.
The study is published in the journal CHEST.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International