Occupational Asthma Flashcards
What is occupational asthma?
What is work-exacerbated asthma?
New onset asthma caused by high-dose/ long-term exposure to particles in work environment
Condition of asthma in patients with known cases of asthma worsens (increased disease frequency/ severity) as a result of work exposure
Irritant- induced Occupational Asthma (aka reactive airways dysfunction syndrome):
How is this triggered?
How long after exposure does it develop?
How long does it take to improve?
1 single, high exposure to irritant chemicals sets it off
within 24 hrs
Improves over time - 3 months
Sensitised occupational asthma:
What does this mean?
How long does this take to develop?
You become allergic to specific chemical agent in workplace over time
Several wks to several yrs
Presentation:
They get typical asthmatic/hypersensitivity symptoms- list some - 5
How long after starting a new job does it tend to start?
What suggests a delated response?
What tends to happen to symptoms throughout the week?
When do they tend to improve?
Cough SOB Wheeze Rhinitis Conjunctivitis
Within 1 yr
Symptoms in the evening or night
Symptoms worsen throughout the wk
Improve on weekends or holidays
Investigations:
What is a ‘workplace challenge’?
Serial peak flow - repeated measurements over 24 hrs or a wk - to determine the relationship
What sort of things from the history would make you think occupational asthma?
Absence of asthma symptoms before beginning of employment
Documented relationship between development of symptoms at workplace, and reduction of symptoms upon withdrawal (leaving) from workplace
