Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0010200 (cough)
 23,843 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Occupational asthma is the most common occupational respiratory disorder and accounts for 15% of cases of adult asthma. A recent systematic review of evidence and management has clarified patient care for General Practitioners (GPs) who are key professionals in early diagnosis. Exposure to respirable agents in the work environment by means of dust, water aerosol or gases, causes an allergic sensitisation process in the respiratory tract. Initial rhinitis and night cough may progress to patterns of work-related wheezing from two weeks to six months after starting employment. The absence of symptoms while on holiday or sick leave suggests the diagnosis. Serial peak flow recordings show characteristic patterns. Smoking and atopy have a variable influence on whether a worker will develop the disease with exposure. Early identification and removal from exposure is essential for the worker since it improves prognosis. Other workers will be at risk, and occupational hygienists are required to measure and improve the working environment by means of ventilation and extraction of toxic fumes. Workplaces with workers who are at risk of occupational asthma, such as paint sprayers, food processors, welders and animal handlers, require health surveillance programmes for new and existing employees, as well as reinforcement of the more important primary safety measures of environmental monitoring and respiratory protection. All clinicians responsible for asthma management need to be aware of the potential for occupational asthma in new cases of adult asthma or unexplained worsening of pre-existing asthma. Specialist help is required to confirm the diagnosis, which has substantial legal and economic implications for the worker and their employer.
 ...
PMID:If you want to cure their asthma, ask about their job. 1670

Occupational asthma (OA) is defined as asthma caused by sources and conditions attributable to a particular occupational environment and not to stimuli encountered outside the workplace. Two types of OA are distinguished based on their appearance after a latency period or not. The most frequent type appears after a latency period leading to sensitization; the clinical assessment of this type of OA is the topic of this review. The differential diagnosis of OA is also reviewed, including work-exacerbated asthma, eosinophilic bronchitis, hyperventilation syndrome, vocal cord dysfunction, bronchiolitis, and other causes of dyspnea or cough.
 ...
PMID:Clinical assessment of occupational asthma and its differential diagnosis. 2197 53

An occupational illness is an event or exposure that occurs in the workplace that causes or contributes to a condition or worsens a preexisting condition. If an occupational disorder is suspected, a directed history should be taken with particular attention to establishing a temporal relationship of symptoms and exposure at work. Occupational asthma is the most prevalent occupational lung disorder in industrialized countries and presents with classic asthma symptoms (cough, difficulty breathing, chest tightness, wheezing). Occupational chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been linked with exposure to nonspecific vapors, gases, dusts, fumes, and cigarette smoke. Occupational contact dermatitis is the most common dermal exposure. It can be caused by exposure to a variety of agents, including primary irritants or sensitizers, physical agents, mechanical trauma, and biologic agents. Occupational musculoskeletal disorders include many common repetitive injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and medial or lateral epicondylitis. Treatment of occupational disorders is generally the same as for nonoccupational disorders. Ideally, the exposure should be controlled to protect the worker. The impact of an occupational injury reaches beyond lost wages and can have a negative impact on quality of life.
...
PMID:Common Occupational Disorders: Asthma, COPD, Dermatitis, and Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2730 69

This is a case report of a 63-year-old woman, who had worked as a laboratory animal keeper for 23 years. She developed increasing symptoms of rhinitis, coughing and shortness of breath and was diagnosed and treated for COPD based on her smoking history and spirometry results. She went on sick leave due to dyspnoea, and after testing she was diagnosed with occupational allergic asthma from rodents. Her lung function was at this point significantly reduced. Occupational asthma is common, and occupational causes of respiratory symptoms should always be taken into consideration when assessing patients in the working population.
 ...
PMID:[Occupational allergic asthma in a laboratory animal keeper with COPD]. 3213 26


<< Previous 1 2