Analysis of an Antioxidant Superoxide Dismutase in Silicosis Patients

To explore the changes of an antioxidant index superoxide dismutase(SOD) in patients at various stages of silicosis and silicosis patients with infection to provide possible documents for monitoring the early injury in silicosis of coal workers,210 cases of silicosis patients of which 94 cases in stage I,95 cases in stage II and 21 cases in stage III were selected.The patients were grouped according to the disease development.The serum SOD levels in patients were measured.The results showed that the serum SOD levels in silicosis patients and silicosis patients with other disease were significantly lower than that of controls(P0.05).The serum SOD levels in silicosis patients with tuberculosis and other respiratory disease group decreased significantly.The serum SOD levels were decreased in each stage of silicosis patients,and the decline of SOD levels was correlated with the progression of disease.Superoxide dismutase may be used as an indicator for early damage monitoring of coal workers pneumoconiosis.The detection of superoxide dismutase has clinical values in antioxidant therapy and inhibiting the development of silicosis for coal workers pneumoconiosis.