Lupus-like autoimmune disease associated with silicosis.

Major occupational exposures to silica occur in the mining, stone-cutting, and abrasives industries [1,2]. Estimates of the total number of exposed workers in the US today range from 1.2 to 3 million people [2]. Although prolonged exposure to silica has long been associated with pulmonary pathology, a growing body of evidence suggests that the lung is not the only organ affected by silicosis. Several recent case reports have documented a relationship between the development of pneumoconiosis and systemic vasculitis [3-6]. We now report a case of end-stage renal disease occuring within the context of a silicosis-induced connectivetissue disorder similar in many respects to systemic lupus erythematosus.