Racial, Occupational, and Environmental Factors in Relation to Emphysema in Jamaica

¹ Pathology Department, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica

A postmortem study of the lungs of native Jamaicans has shown little difference in frequency or severity of panacinar emphysema between Negro, Chinese, East Indian, and white racial groups. However centrilobular emphysema and simple dust pneumoconiosis occurred more frequently in East Indians, and less frequently in Chinese, than in Negro and white persons. The difference was statistically significant. No differences were detected between workers in different occupations although women showed significantly less emphysema. No differences were detected between rural and urban dwellers. These findings would appear to stress the importance of factors within the individual environment, such as cigarette smoking, rather than more vague factors as racial differences and generalized atmospheric pollution.