Low-dose multi-slice CT (LMCT) assessment of pulmonary emphysema in public-school teachers

Although rates of emphysematous change in smokers have been reported previously, the precise effects of smoking on emphysematous change have not been established because the study subjects of previous reports were heterogeneous. This study was designed to determine the incidence of emphysematous change identified by low-dose multi-slice CT (LMCT) imaging in public-school teachers. We reviewed 1776 consecutive subjects (ages from 31 to 61 years) who had undergone LMCT scanning during health care examinations. In addition, their replies to questionnaires about smoking were obtained. Emphysematous change was found by LMCT imaging in 22 male smokers. In these 22 smokers, the scores of emphysematous change according to Goddard's method was well correlated with smoking history. According to the questionnaires, the smoking rates of male and female teachers were 56.7% and 4%, respectively. Eighty-five percent of the teachers worked in offices separated from smokers. Most smokers wished to quit smoking and most teachers knew the risk of nicotine as well as the rate of smoking among high school students. However, knowledge of the relationships between smoking and lung cancer, myocardial infarction, and subarachnoid hemorrhage were not adequate. Our present study clearly demonstrated the incidence of emphysematous change in school teachers. In addition, early exposure to information about the risks of smoking is believed to be important for students, but school teachers did not have enough of such information. (author)