Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: In regions with a high burden of tuberculosis (TB), distinguishing pulmonary tuberculosis from other chronic interstitial lung diseases remains diagnostically challenging. Pneumoconiosis, a chronic occupational lung disease caused by prolonged inhalation and retention of mineral dust particles—most commonly among gold mining and stone cutting workers—results in diffuse pulmonary fibrosis and may closely resemble TB on both clinical and imaging grounds. In gold miners, chronic exposure to silica-containing dust leads to alveolar macrophage activation, persistent inflammation, and fibrotic remodeling of the lung parenchyma, producing radiological features that can mimic granulomatous infections such as tuberculosis. Recent studies have emphasized the diagnostic value of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in recognizing characteristic radiologic patterns, particularly the perilymphatic distribution of nodules and calcified lymphadenopathy, which can help differentiate pneumoconiosis (silicosis) from infectious or granulomatous diseases.
Institutions: Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Padjadjaran University
Language: English
Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7203677076