Pulmonary Rehabilitation Effect on Physiological and Biochemical Parameters Occupationally Exposed to Silica Workers: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Occupational workers are at health risk due to exposure to silica dust, which is present in the construction and manufacturing sectors, masonry works, as well in mining sectors. Silicosis is a type of pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease caused by breathing in tiny bits of silica, a common mineral found in sand, quartz, and many other types of rock. Materials and methods: Occupational workers who are exposed to silica and working in cement factories. Who fulfills the inclusion criteria, the sample size was (n = 160) divided into a control group (n =8 0) and an experimental group (n = 80). A pretest was conducted on to control and experimental groups. Pulmonary parameters, baseline clinical variables, spirometry to check pulmonary function, 6-MWT stress tolerance test, Hemoglobin (HB), Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), Random Blood Sugar (RBS) blood investigations, pranayama (yoga), and nutritional education were done for the experimental group. Supervised pulmonary rehabilitation was carried out, and the posttest was done after 12, 18, and 24 weeks. The results were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistical methods using the SPSS statistical package (Systat Software Inc., San Jose, USA). Conclusion: Pulmonary rehabilitation (pranayama and nutritional education) showed significant improvement in lung capacity and pulmonary functions, and improved quality of life showed statistical significance (P < 0.001).