Occupational lung disease: what the general physician needs to know

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1-s2.0-S1470211825000235-main.pdf (541.89 KB)

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Author(s)

Howlett, Patrick

Szram, Joanna

Feary, Johanna

Type

Journal Article

Abstract

Occupational exposures are a common and preventable cause of lung disease. About one in six cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma worldwide are related to work.
Early recognition of occupational lung disease improves outcomes. Doctors should ask about work history in patients with respiratory symptoms. This educational review article briefly outlines key clinical features, relevant to the general physician, of common occupational lung diseases seen in the UK. These conditions include work-related asthma, pneumoconioses, hypersensitivity pneumonitis and COPD.
Referral to a specialist is recommended when an occupational cause is suspected. Most occupational lung diseases are preventable with adequate workplace safety measures and early medical attention.

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Date Issued

2025-05-01

Date Acceptance

2025-03-25

Citation

Clinical Medicine, 2025, 25 (3)

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/120402

URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinme.2025.100305

DOI

https://www.dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clinme.2025.100305

ISSN

1470-2118

Publisher

Elsevier BV

Journal / Book Title

Clinical Medicine

Volume

25

Issue

3

Copyright Statement

© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Royal College of Physicians. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

License URL

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Identifier

10.1016/j.clinme.2025.100305

Publication Status

Published

Article Number

100305

Date Publish Online

2025-04-02