II. Epidemiology
- Occupational Asthma accounts for 15% of new Asthma cases in adults
- Estimated 1.9 million new cases/year (2012)
- (2012) MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 25;61(20):375-8 [PubMed]
III. Types: Occupational Lung Disease
- Work-Aggravated Asthma
- Preexisting Asthma worsened by workplace exposure
- See Intrinsic Asthma
- Occupational Asthma
- Allergic Occupational Asthma (90% of cases)
- Caused by sensitizers (immune-mediated response)
- High molecular weight sensitizers induce IgE response and are most common
- Irritant-induced Asthma (10% of cases)
- Reactive Airway Dysfunction Syndrome
- Irritants cause direct cell damage and inflammation
- Allergic Occupational Asthma (90% of cases)
- Non-Asthma Occupational Lung Disease
- Occupational COPD (accounts for 15-19% of all COPD cases)
- Associated with exposures to coal dust, silica, cotton dust, and cadmium fumes
- Compounded by concurrent Tobacco use
- Interstitial Lung Disease
- Asbestosis
- Eosinophilic Pneumonia
- Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis or extrinsic allergic alveolitis (bird fancier’s lung, farmer’s lung)
- Silicosis
- Occupational COPD (accounts for 15-19% of all COPD cases)
IV. Risk Factors
V. Findings
- See Asthma
VI. Approach
- Diagnose Asthma
- Determine if Asthma is work related
- Pre-work and post-work Spirometry
- Serial Peak Expiratory Flow log four times daily
- Symptoms improve on days away from work
- Determine type of Occupational Asthma (see above)
- Work-Aggravated Asthma (Preexisting Asthma worsened by workplace exposure)
- Allergic Occupational Asthma
- Irritant-induced Asthma
VII. Management
- Completely avoid causative agent
- However, up to 70% of patients have persistent symptoms for years after exposure cessation
- Treat with standard Asthma Management (e.g. Inhaled Corticosteroids, Bronchodilators)
VIII. Prevention
- Offending irritant or allergen exposure
- Adequate respiratory protection
IX. Resources
- National Institute Occupational Safety Health (NIOSH)
- Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA)
- American Thoracic Society - Occupational Lung Disease
Images: Related links to external sites (from Bing)
Related Studies
| Concepts | Disease or Syndrome (T047) |
| SnomedCT | 196004000, 86157004 |
| English | diseases lung occupational, disorders lung occupational, occupational respiratory disease, occupational lung disease, lung disease occupational, diseases lungs occupational, disease lung occupational, Occupational inhalation disease, Occupational lung disease (disorder), Occupational lung disease, Occupational lung disorder, Occupational pulmonary disease, Occupational respiratory disease, Occupational inhalation disease, NOS, Occupational lung disease, NOS, Occupational lung disorder, NOS, Occupational pulmonary disease, NOS, Occupational respiratory disease, NOS |
| Spanish | enfermedad ocupacional por inhalación, enfermedad respiratoria ocupacional, enfermedad respiratoria relacionada con el ambiente laboral, neumopatía laboral (trastorno), neumopatía laboral, neumopatía ocupacional, trastorno pulmonar laboral, trastorno pulmonar ocupacional |
Ontology: Asthma, Occupational (C0264423)
| Definition (MSH) | Asthma attacks caused, triggered, or exacerbated by OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE. |
| Concepts | Disease or Syndrome (T047) |
| MSH | D059366 |
| SnomedCT | 57607007 |
| English | occupational asthma (diagnosis), occupational asthma, asthma industrial, asthma occupational, industrial asthma, Asthmas, Occupational, Asthma, Occupational, Occupational Asthma, Occupational Asthmas, Asthma, Occupational [Disease/Finding], Industrial asthma, Occupational asthma, Occupational asthma (disorder) |
| Dutch | beroepsastma |
| Spanish | Asma ocupacional, Asma Ocupacional, asma laboral, asma ocupacional (trastorno), asma ocupacional |
| Portuguese | Asma ocupacional, Asma Ocupacional |
| Italian | Asma occupazionale, Asma professionale |
| Japanese | 職業性喘息, ｼｮｸｷﾞｮｳｾｲｾﾞﾝｿｸ |
| Czech | Profesionální astma, astma profesionální |
| Hungarian | Foglalkozási asthma |
| French | Asthme professionnel |
| Russian | АСТМА БРОНХИАЛЬНАЯ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНАЯ, ASTMA BRONKHIAL'NAIA PROFESSIONAL'NAIA |
| Polish | Astma zawodowa |
| German | Asthma, berufsbedingtes, Berufsasthma |
| Norwegian | Yrkesbetinget astma |
