Follow-up survey of patients with occupational asthma.
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Occupational asthma (OA) is often associated with a poor prognosis and the impact of a diagnosis on an individual's career and income can be significant. AIMS: We sought to understand the consequences of a diagnosis of OA to patients attending our clinic. METHODS: Using a postal questionnaire, we surveyed all patients attending our specialist occupational lung disease clinic 1 year after having received a diagnosis of OA due to a sensitizer (n = 125). We enquired about their current health and employment status and impact of their diagnosis on various aspects of their life. Additional information was collected by review of clinical records. RESULTS: We received responses from 71 (57%) patients; 77% were referred by an occupational health (OH) provider. The median duration of symptoms prior to referral was 18 months (interquartile range (IQR) 8-48). At 1 year, 79% respondents were no longer exposed to the causal agent. Whilst the unexposed patients reported an improvement in symptoms compared with those still exposed (82% versus 53%; P = 0.023), they had poorer outcomes in terms of career, income and how they felt treated by their employer; particularly those not currently employed. Almost all (>90%) of those still employed had been referred by an OH provider compared with 56% of those currently unemployed (P = 0.002)x. CONCLUSIONS: The negative impact of OA on people's careers, livelihood and quality of life should not be underestimated. However, with early detection and specialist care, the prognosis is often good and particularly so for those with access to occupational health.
Date Issued
2020-06
Date Acceptance
2020-04-01
Citation
Occupational Medicine, 2020, 70 (4), pp.231-234
ISSN
0962-7480
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Start Page
231
End Page
234
Journal / Book Title
Occupational Medicine
Volume
70
Issue
4
Copyright Statement
© Crown copyright 2020.
This article contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/).
This article contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/).
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32307530
PII: 5822611
Subjects
Allergy
asthma
occupation
outcomes
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Date Publish Online
2020-04-20