Accuracy of chest x-ray screening of silica-exposed miners for tuberculosis.

Background: The World Health Organization recommends systematic chest X-ray (CXR) screening for tuberculosis (TB) in silica-exposed workers. However, evidence on the accuracy of CXR screening in such populations is lacking.

Aims: To measure the accuracy of CXR screening for active TB in silica-exposed miners, in a population with a high prevalence of silicosis, post-TB lung disease and HIV.

Difficulties in distinguishing silicosis and pulmonary tuberculosis in silica-exposed gold miners: A report of four cases.

Silicosis and tuberculosis (TB) are both global health concerns, with high prevalence among miners from the South African gold mines. Although knowledge has accumulated about these two conditions as distinct diseases since the early 20th century, and despite progress in technology with multiple diagnostic tools and treatment options available for TB, the challenge of distinguishing and therefore efficiently managing these two conditions in this population remains as current as it was 100 years ago. To illustrate the diagnostic and health service problems of distinguishing TB and silicosis clinically and radiologically in former gold miners from the South African mines living in resource-poor areas, we discuss four cases reviewed for this report by a panel of experts.