PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - I. Thaon
AU  - A. Thiebaut
AU  - L. Jochault
AU  - A. Lefebvre
AU  - J.J. Laplante
AU  - J.C. Dalphin
TI  - Influence of hay and animal feed exposure on respiratory status: a longitudinal study
AID  - 10.1183/09031936.00122209
DP  - 2010 Jan 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - erj01222-2009
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2010/10/28/09031936.00122209.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2010/10/28/09031936.00122209.full
AB  - To study respiratory symptoms and lung function decline in farmers with particular attention to the influence of handling hay, straw and animal feed.From a cohort constituted in 1993-94, 219 dairy farmers (82.6%), 130 non-dairy agricultural workers (62.5%) and 99 controls (66.4%) were re-evaluated in 2006. They answered medical and occupational questionnaires, underwent spirometric tests at both evaluations and pulse oxymetry in 2006.Dairy and non-dairy agricultural workers showed an increased risk for usual morning phlegm (respective adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals 4.27 (1.41–12.95) and 3.59 (1.16–11.10). Animal feed handling was associated with increased risks of wheezing (p=0.01) and usual morning phlegm (p=0.04), as was hay or straw handling with wheezing (p=0.008). Adjusted for smoking, age, height, gender and altitude, dairy farmers had greater declines in FEV1/FVC (p=0.01) than controls. An increased decline in FEV1 for all agricultural workers was associated with animal feed handling both measured as a categorical value (currently handling versus never handling p=0.05) or quantitative value (years of exposure during the survey period p=0.03).Hay, straw or animal feed handling represents a risk factor of bronchial symptoms and, for animal feed only, of accelerated decline in expiratory flows.