What is beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test?

What is beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test?

The beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT) is a blood test that measures beryllium sensitization, which is an “allergic” reaction to beryllium. The test is very specific, meaning that if your blood reacts to beryllium, nothing other than beryllium could have caused this reaction.

How do you test for beryllium?

It is also recommended that all beryllium-exposed individuals be tested for beryllium sensitivity (BeS) with a blood test called beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT). This test measures your white blood cells’ reaction to beryllium.

What is beryllium in blood test?

A blood test called beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT) can measure how blood cells react to beryllium. This test can be used for medical surveillance programs.

What is beryllium sensitization?

Beryllium Sensitization – Beryllium sensitization is the activation of the body’s immune response to beryllium. Beryllium sensitization can result from inhalation or skin exposure to beryllium dust, fume, mist, or solutions.

What is beryllium lung disease?

Chronic beryllium disease, or CBD, causes scarring of the lung tissue. It occurs when a person inhales dust or fumes of beryllium — a naturally occurring lightweight material — and has become sensitized to this material.

What is Berylliosis disease?

Berylliosis is a form of metal poisoning caused by inhalation of beryllium dusts, vapors, or its compounds or implantation of the substance in the skin. The toxic effects of beryllium most commonly occur due to occupational exposure.

Is beryllium a radioactive element?

Beryllium has but a single isotope, beryllium-9 which is not radioactive but beryllium-10, which cosmic rays produce in the upper atmosphere, is radioactive with a half-life of 1.5 million years.

How does beryllium enter the body?

Only a small amount of beryllium may enter your body if your skin comes into contact with a beryllium salt dissolved in water. When you breathe air containing beryllium, beryllium particles can be deposited in the lungs.

How bad is beryllium?

Health effects of beryllium It is a metal that can be very harmful when humans breathe it in, because it can damage the lungs and cause pneumonia. The most commonly known effect of beryllium is called berylliosis, a dangerous and persistent lung disorder that can also damage other organs, such as the heart.

How is beryllium disease treated?

Although chronic beryllium disease currently has no cure, treatments can prevent further scarring in the lungs and improve oxygen levels in the blood. These include drugs that suppress the immune system’s response to beryllium and devices that deliver supplemental oxygen.

Is there a cure for Berylliosis?

At this time, there is no cure for chronic beryllium disease. However, treatment is available that can help slow the progression of the disease, prevent further lung damage caused by scarring, improve oxygen levels in the bloodstream and manage symptoms.

What is Caplan syndrome?

Rheumatoid pneumoconiosis (RP, also known as Caplan syndrome) is swelling (inflammation) and scarring of the lungs. It occurs in people with rheumatoid arthritis who have breathed in dust, such as from coal (coal worker’s pneumoconiosis) or silica.

What is a beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT)?

What is a beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT)? The beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT) is a test that helps determine if your immune system recognizes beryllium as a foreign substance and responds by generating a population of immune cells in the bloodstream that react to beryllium.

How specific is the beryllium test?

The test is very specific, meaning that if your blood reacts to beryllium, nothing besides beryllium could have caused the reaction. In individuals who do not have beryllium sensitization or CBD, the immune system does not respond to beryllium, in fact, in some individuals, beryllium is toxic to the cells of non-sensitized individuals.

What happens when you mix white blood cells with beryllium?

In the laboratory, the white blood cells are separated from the rest of the blood cells and then mixed with a beryllium solution. If your immune system is sensitized to beryllium, these cells will multiply, producing an abnormal BeLPT result.

Does beryllium interact with the immune system?

In individuals who do not have beryllium sensitization or CBD, the immune system does not respond to beryllium, in fact, in some individuals, beryllium is toxic to the cells of non-sensitized individuals.