What is already known about this topic? Silicosis, an occupational lung disease caused by exposure to silica dust, is characterized by persistent inflammation and lipid dysregulation. Clinicians typically rely on radiographic imaging and pulmonary function tests instead of accessible blood-based biomarkers to quantify inflammation-lipid imbalance and predict functional decline in disease management. What is added by this report? We evaluate two novel hematological indices — Neutrophil-to-HDL Ratio (NHR) and Platelet-to-HDL Ratio (PHR) — in 160 patients with silicosis and 123 silica-exposed controls from Jiangsu Province, China. Both the NHR and PHR of patients in the silicosis group are significantly higher than those in the control group, with the highest levels observed in advanced stages (Stage II–III). Both ratios show significant negative correlations with lung function decline (FVC%, FEV1%, FEV1/FVC), and these correlations strengthen in patients with advanced silicosis. What are the implications for public health practice? NHR and PHR are low-cost, accessible biomarkers of inflammation-lipid dysregulation during the progression of silicosis. Incorporating these ratios into routine occupational health screening for silica-exposed workers could serve as a complementary method to radiographic examination or spirometry tests, thereby improving silicosis monitoring and management.
Jiang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.