Pathomorphology of heart muscle vessels in workers of the main professions of the coal industry

Abstract

Introduction. Unfavorable working conditions of miners are a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In the literature there is information about the formation of functional and morphological disorders of the cardiovascular system in miners, at the same time, the mechanisms of their development are poorly covered. Fibrous changes in the myocardium of miners are most oft en associated with coronary heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. In recent years, the att ention of researchers is drawn to the study of the role of dysfunction and transformation of vascular endothelium in the pathogenesis of many diseases.Th e aim of the study is a morphological study of the walls of the heart vessels of miners with diff erent experience in the dusty atmosphere.Materials and methods. Histological and morphometric study of the vascular wall of the heart muscle in miners of diff erent age groups (in the range from 5 to 30 years) and in the control group was carried out. Autopsy material was obtained during 24 forensic examinations of miners of the Kemerovo region. The control group was formed from 8 forensic examinations of men killed in a road accident in Novokuznetsk at the age of not older than 30 years, who did not have the results of autopsies of visible organ pathology. In vessels of diff erent diameters were evaluated: thickness of walls, size of the cells of the endothelial layer, the thickness of the perivascular fi brosis. Results. A comparative analysis of the obtained values in the groups of miners and the control group showed that harmful working conditions of miners already at 5–9 years of experience lead to the development of morphological changes in the wall of the heart vessels in the form of endothelial cell hypertrophy, thickening of the muscle fi bers of media and the formation of fi broplastic changes in the perivascular zones. However, no statistically signifi cant diff erences were found in the studied characteristics with the control group. Th e internship was accompanied by the growth of the above-mentioned morphological changes. Signifi cant diff erences in wall thickness with the indicators of the control group were revealed in most structures. Th e increase in the duration of work in harmful conditions up to 20–30 years led to the development of pronounced changes in the morphostructure of the heart vessels in the form of endothelium, hypertrophy of media and perivascular fi brosis. At the same time, the measured parameters of the heart vessels were signifi cantly higher than the control values in almost all studied groups of vessels.Conclusion. Unfavorable working conditions of miners are a risk factor for the development of changes in the vessels of the heart muscle in the form of their morphostructural transformation.