Abstract
© 2014 Esmon Publicidad. The incidence and prevalence of asthma are increasing. One reason for this trend is the rise in adult-onset asthma, especially occupational asthma, which is 1 of the 2 forms of work-related asthma. Occupational asthma is defined as asthma caused by agents that are present exclusively in the workplace. The presence of pre-existing asthma does not rule out the possibility of developing occupational asthma. A distinction has traditionally been made between immunological occupational asthma (whether IgE-mediated or not) and nonimmunological occupational asthma caused by irritants, the most characteristic example of which is reactive airway dysfunction syndrome. The other form of work-related asthma is known as work-exacerbated asthma, which affects persons with pre-existing or concurrent asthma that is worsened by work-related factors. It is important to differentiate between the 2 entities because their treatment, prognosis, and medical and social repercussions can differ widely. In this review, we discuss diagnostic methods, treatment, and avoidance/nonavoidance of the antigen in immunological occupational asthma and work-exacerbated asthma.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 396-405 |
| Journal | Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2014 |
Keywords
- Irritants
- Peak expiratory flow
- Specific inhalation challenge
- Workplace