Abstract
Occupational exposure is a well-recognised modifiable risk factor for asthma, but the relationship between occupational exposure and asthma control has not been studied. We aimed to study this association among working-age adults from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS).
Data were available for 7077 participants (mean age 43 years, 45% never-smokers, 5867 without asthma and 1210 with current asthma). Associations between occupational exposure to specific asthmagens and asthma control status (33% with uncontrolled asthma, based on the Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines) were evaluated using logistic and multinomial regressions, adjusted for age, sex and smoking status, with study areas included as a random effect.
Statistically significant positive associations were observed between uncontrolled adult-onset asthma and both past 12-month and 10-year exposure to any occupational asthmagens (OR (95% CI) 1.6 (1.0–2.40) and 1.7 (1.2–2.5), respectively); high (1.7 (1.0–2.8) and 1.9 (1.3–2.9), respectively) and low (1.6 (1.0–2.7) and 1.8 (1.2–2.7), respectively) molecular weight agents; and cleaning agents (2.0 (1.1–3.6) and 2.3 (1.4–3.6), respectively), with stronger associations for long-term exposures. These associations were mainly explained by the exacerbation domain of asthma control and no associations were observed between asthmagens and partly controlled asthma.
These findings suggest that occupational exposure to asthmagens is associated with uncontrolled adult-onset asthma. Occupational risk factors should be quickly identified to prevent uncontrolled asthma.
Abstract
Occupational exposure to asthmagens is associated with uncontrolled adult-onset asthma in ECRHS II http://ow.ly/reN8g
Footnotes
This article has supplementary material available from www.erj.ersjournals.com
For editorial comments see page 319.
Support statement: This study was supported by the Ministry of Education of Spain (grant: SAB2011-0075). Co-ordination of the occupational asthma component of ECRHS II was supported by grant 1 R01 HL62633-01 of the US NIH/NORA/NHLBI. Co-ordination of ECRHS II was supported by the European Commission (as part of their Quality of Life programme), and from research contract NoFOOD_CT_2004_506378, the Ga2len project and the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network. Sources of funding for the local ECRHS II studies included in this article are listed in the Acknowledgements.
Conflict of interest: Disclosures can be found alongside the online version of this article at www.erj.ersjournals.com
- Received February 26, 2013.
- Accepted June 28, 2013.
- ©ERS 2014