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ORIGINAL RESEARCHASTHMAOccupational Asthma and Work-Exacerbated Asthma: Factors Associated With Time to Diagnostic Steps
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
The Research Ethics Board, the University Health Network, and the University of Toronto provided study approval. Patients with suspected WRA from a occupational lung disease clinic of a teaching hospital, with clinical visits from 2002 to 2004, and additional Ontario WSIB claimants from the same time period completed a questionnaire, which was slightly modified from that used in our pilot study.13 The questionnaire included age, education level, self-perception of work conditions, and physician
Results
From 200 participants, 100 were recruited from among 102 consecutive eligible patients in the occupational lung disease clinic, and 100 others from consecutive Ontario WSIB asthma claimants. Eighty participants (40%; 60 clinic patients and 20 WSIB claimants) were classified as having sensitizer-induced OA, as follows: definite sensitizer-induced OA, 23 participants; probable sensitizer-induced OA, 26 participants; and possible sensitizer-induced OA, 31 participants, The most common agents to
Discussion
Potential interventions to reduce the time to the diagnosis of WRA include changing regulatory or enforcement policies, better access to compensation, employer education, education of primary treating physicians, and education of pulmonary specialists on the diagnosis and management of WRA. This study extends previous findings13 by assessing larger groups, including both OA and WEA patients, from populations in clinics and persons who had filed workers compensation claims. Personal and work
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors wish to thank Maya Obadia for assistance with extraction of file data.
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Presented in part at the 2005 American Thoracic Society Meeting, San Diego, May 2005.
Funded by a research grant provided by the Research Advisory Council of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (Ontario).
Dr. Tarlo has provided consultation to the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and has assessed Ontario WSIB claimants at the request of the Ontario WSIB. The WSIB Research Advisory Council is an independent committee awarding research funds for the Ontario WSIB; this is not thought by the author to be a conflict of interest. Drs. Santos, Peyrovi, Lou, and Liss, and Ms. Jung have reported to the ACCP that no significant conflicts of interest exist with any companies/organizations whose products or services may be discussed in this article.