STUDY OBJECTIVES To determine whether the use of respiratory protective equipment would reduce the incidence of occupational asthma due to exposure to hexahydrophthalic anhydride (HHPA). DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING A facility that makes an epoxy resin product requiring HHPA for its manufacture. PARTICIPANTS Sixty-six individuals newly hired at a facility that makes an epoxy r...

BACKGROUND Previous studies have reported deficiencies in the quality of the diagnosis of occupational asthma. A low quality of diagnostic procedures means that the occupational cause of asthma is less likely to be revealed. AIMS To assess the current quality of the diagnosis of occupational asthma before referral to a specialist occupational medicine centre. METHODS The quality of diagnost...

BACKGROUND Exposure to chromium during electroplating is a recognised though poorly characterised cause of occupational asthma. The first series of such patients referred to a specialist occupational lung disease clinic is reported. METHODS The diagnosis of occupational asthma was made from a history of asthma with rest day improvement and confirmed by specific bronchial provocation testing w...

The outcome of occupational asthma after diagnosis is often poor. The identification of factors associated with a worse outcome may help in the management of the disease, determining its prognosis and assessing the permanent impairment attributable to occupational exposure. The aim of this systematic review was to provide the available evidence from the medical literature to answer the question...

This report describes the case of a 26-year-old woman working in a fish-processing factory who developed bronchial asthma when transferred to the packing department. Various tests, including a specific bronchial challenge test, confirmed a diagnosis of occupational asthma. While polyvinyl chloride (PVC) appeared to be the causal agent in this case, the possible role of other etiological agents ...

Research into occupational asthma (OA) in Japan has been led by the Japanese Society of Occupational and Environmental Allergy. The first report about allergic OA identified konjac asthma. After that, many kinds of OA have been reported. Cases of some types of OA, such as konjac asthma and sea squirt asthma, have been dramatically reduced by the efforts of medical personnel. Recently, with the ...

INTRODUCTION Serial measurements of peak expiratory flow (PEF) are recommended in the evidence-based review list as the first stage in objective confirmation of occupational asthma. Different centres have reported widely different success in obtaining records of sufficient data quantity for diagnosis. We investigated different methods of instruction and determined the return rate and quality of...