Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (585 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A condition of bronchoconstriction resulting from hypersensitive reaction to inhaled dust during the initial processing of cotton, flax, or hemp in the textile industry. Symptoms include wheezing and tightness in the chest.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Byssinoses; Brown Lung Disease; Brown Lung Diseases; Brown Lung; Brown Lungs.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Pneumoconiosis
Related concepts
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 677 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Byssinosis” (counts retrieved 2026-11-04). 14 of them (2.1%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 615 records.
Reviews account for 54 records (8.0%) and meta-analyses for 0. Randomized controlled trials number 2 (0.3%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 615 |
| 2000-2009 | 35 |
| 2010-2019 | 13 |
| 2020 onward | 14 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 54 | 8.0% |
| Meta-analyses | 0 | 0.0% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 2 | 0.3% |
Method: PubMed query "Byssinosis"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-11-04.
Reading the evidence in respiratory medicine
Research on airway and lung disease mixes lung-function tests, symptom diaries, imaging and hospital records, so what was measured and in whom matters as much as the result. Many conditions here, such as asthma and COPD, vary between people and over time, and exposure studies (smoking, pollution, workplace dust) show association rather than proof of cause. Nothing on this page is advice about treatment or inhalers; anyone with breathing difficulty should seek care from a qualified clinician. Check how the condition was defined, the severity of the people studied and whether outcomes were symptoms, lung function or hospital admissions.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MultiTex RCT - a multifaceted intervention package for protection against cotton dust exposure among textile workers - a cluster randomized controlled trial in Pakistan: study protocol | 2019 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 5 | cc by PMID 31842937 · DOI · PMC6913022 |
| Byssinosis and lung health among cotton textile workers: baseline findings of the MultiTex trial in Karachi, Pakistan | 2023 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 4 | cc by PMID 36717255 · DOI · PMC9985716 |
| A large scale gene-centric association study of lung function in newly-hired female cotton textile workers with endotoxin exposure | 2013 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 4 | cc by PMID 23527081 · DOI · PMC3602449 |
MultiTex RCT - a multifaceted intervention package for protection against cotton dust exposure among textile workers - a cluster randomized controlled trial in Pakistan: study protocol [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundIn the Pakistani textile industry the prevalence of workplace respiratory illnesses, including byssinosis, is high.
- Closing excerpt
- Registered on 12 November 2018.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (224 words)
BackgroundIn the Pakistani textile industry the prevalence of workplace respiratory illnesses, including byssinosis, is high. The MultiTex RCT study aims to determine the effectiveness of a multifaceted intervention package in reducing dust levels in cotton mills, decreasing the frequency of respiratory symptoms among cotton textile workers, and improving their lung function.Methods/designWe will conduct a cluster-randomized controlled trial at 28 textile mills in Karachi. The intervention will comprise: training in occupational health for all workers and managers reinforced by regular refresher sessions; the formation of workplace committees to draw up, agree and promote a health and safety plan that includes wet mopping, safe disposal of cotton dust, and the use of simple face-masks, as well as further publicity about the risks from cotton dust; and provision of adequate supplies of face-masks to support the health and safety plan. Participating mills will be randomized to intervention and control arms following a baseline survey. The impact of the intervention will be determined through follow-up surveys conducted at 3, 12 and 18 months. Data collection in the surveys will include spirometry, questionnaire-based interviews and cotton-dust measurements.DiscussionIf successful, the study may pave the way for simple, low-cost interventions that can help reduce cotton-dust levels in textile mills, and improve the respiratory health of textile workers in developing countries such as Pakistan.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03738202. Registered on 12 November 2018.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 31842937 · DOI · PMC6913022
Byssinosis and lung health among cotton textile workers: baseline findings of the MultiTex trial in Karachi, Pakistan [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- ObjectivesTo assess the association of exposure in cotton mills in Karachi with different definitions of byssinosis and lung health.
- Closing excerpt
- We have discussed the challenges faced in using current, standard guidelines for identifying byssinosis.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (213 words)
ObjectivesTo assess the association of exposure in cotton mills in Karachi with different definitions of byssinosis and lung health.MethodsThis cross-sectional survey took place between June 2019 and October 2020 among 2031 workers across 38 spinning and weaving mills in Karachi. Data collection involved questionnaire-based interviews, spirometry and measurements of personal exposure to inhalable dust. Byssinosis was defined using both WHO symptoms-based (work-related chest tightness), and Schilling's criteria (symptoms with decreased forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1). Values of FEV1/forced vital capacity ratio below the lower limit of normality on postbronchodilator test were considered as 'chronic airflow obstruction' (CAO).Results56% of participants had at least one respiratory symptom, while 43% had shortness of breath (grade 1). Prevalence of byssinosis according to WHO criteria was 3%, it was 4% according to Schilling's criteria, and likewise for CAO. We found low inhalable dust exposures (geometric mean: 610 µg/m3). Cigarette smoking (≥3.5 pack-years), increasing duration of employment in the textile industry and work in the spinning section were important factors found to be associated with several respiratory outcomes.ConclusionWe found a high prevalence of respiratory symptoms but a low prevalence of byssinosis. Most respiratory outcomes were associated with duration of employment in textile industry. We have discussed the challenges faced in using current, standard guidelines for identifying byssinosis.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 36717255 · DOI · PMC9985716
A large scale gene-centric association study of lung function in newly-hired female cotton textile workers with endotoxin exposure [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundOccupational exposure to endotoxin is associated with decrements in pulmonary function, but how much variation in this association is explained by genetic variants is not well understood.
- Closing excerpt
- ResultsTwo SNPs were found to be significant (PConclusionsGenetic variants together with environmental factors interact to affect the rate of FEV1 decline in cotton textile workers.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (148 words)
BackgroundOccupational exposure to endotoxin is associated with decrements in pulmonary function, but how much variation in this association is explained by genetic variants is not well understood.ObjectiveWe aimed to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with the rate of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) decline by a large scale genetic association study in newly-hired healthy young female cotton textile workers.MethodsDNA samples were genotyped using the Illumina Human CVD BeadChip. Change rate in FEV1 was modeled as a function of each SNP genotype in linear regression model with covariate adjustment. We controlled the type 1 error in study-wide level by permutation method. The false discovery rate (FDR) and the family-wise error rate (FWER) were set to be 0.10 and 0.15 respectively.ResultsTwo SNPs were found to be significant (PConclusionsGenetic variants together with environmental factors interact to affect the rate of FEV1 decline in cotton textile workers.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 23527081 · DOI · PMC3602449
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Metal fume fever and polymer fume fever [4]
- Research article The role of endotoxin for reactions after exposure to cotton dust [5]
- Research article Pantoea agglomerans: a marvelous bacterium of evil and good.Part I. Deleterious effects: Dust-borne endotoxins and allergens - focus on cotton dust [6]
- Research article Byssinosis: scheduled asthma in the textile industry [7]
- Research article Bacterial toxins and etiology of byssinosis [8]
- Research article Environmental Causes of Asthma [9]
References
- Nafees AA, De Matteis S, Kadir MM, Burney P, Coggon D, Semple S, et al.. MultiTex RCT - a multifaceted intervention package for protection against cotton dust exposure among textile workers - a cluster randomized controlled trial in Pakistan: study protocol. . 2019. PMID 31842937 · DOI · PMC6913022
- Nafees AA, Muneer MZ, Irfan M, Kadir MM, Semple S, De Matteis S, et al.. Byssinosis and lung health among cotton textile workers: baseline findings of the MultiTex trial in Karachi, Pakistan. . 2023. PMID 36717255 · DOI · PMC9985716
- Zhang R, Zhao Y, Chu M, Mehta A, Wei Y, Liu Y, et al.. A large scale gene-centric association study of lung function in newly-hired female cotton textile workers with endotoxin exposure. . 2013. PMID 23527081 · DOI · PMC3602449
- Greenberg MI, Vearrier D. Metal fume fever and polymer fume fever. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2015. PMID 25706449 · DOI
- Rylander R. The role of endotoxin for reactions after exposure to cotton dust. Am J Ind Med. 1987. PMID 3324755 · DOI
- Dutkiewicz J, Mackiewicz B, Lemieszek MK, Golec M, Milanowski J. Pantoea agglomerans: a marvelous bacterium of evil and good.Part I. Deleterious effects: Dust-borne endotoxins and allergens - focus on cotton dust. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2015. PMID 26706959 · DOI
- Bouhuys A. Byssinosis: scheduled asthma in the textile industry. Lung. 1976. PMID 65502 · DOI
- Rylander R. Bacterial toxins and etiology of byssinosis. Chest. 1981. PMID 6162620 · DOI
- Cockcroft DW. Environmental Causes of Asthma. Semin Respir Crit Care Med. 2018. PMID 29427981 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.