Asthma experience in an occupational and environmental medicine clinic. Low-dose reactive airways dysfunction syndrome

Details

• Personal Author:
  Blume R ; Hutt D ; Kipen HM
• Description:
  Asthma prevalence in an occupational and environmental medicine clinic was investigated with special reference to the incidence of low dose reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS). All asthma cases referred to the clinic over the 5 year period July 1986 to July 1991 were reviewed. Evaluations consisted of complete medical, occupational, and environmental history, as well as physical examination, and diagnostic procedures when indicated, for confirmation of reversible obstructive airways disease. Cases were reviewed to ascertain the proven or suspected causes, and where known exposure to a bronchial irritant preceded the onset on asthma within 24 hours, the case was categorized as RADS. The data from 200 cases were analyzed. Results showed that common diagnoses were asbestosis, silicosis, repetitive motion syndrome, peripheral neuropathy, and chemical sensitivity syndrome. The diagnostic criteria of asthma were fulfilled by 32 cases, of whom five had an earlier history. The 27 cases left were strictly new adult onset cases. Seven represented RADS. Ten cases of nonsensitization adult onset asthma in settings of exposure to noticeable, but distinctly tolerable, levels of inhalation irritants were found. These represented 31% of the verified asthma cases. The authors conclude that there is an association between recurrent low dose exposure and the development of adult onset asthma. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Asthma Asthma, Occupational Epidemiology Lung Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory Hypersensitivity Respiratory System Safety Staff Development

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• Keywords:
  Air-contamination Bronchial-asthma Humans Lung-irritants NIOSH-Grant NIOSH-Publication Occupational-exposure Respiratory-hypersensitivity Training
• ISSN:
  0096-1736
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  36
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00222806
• Citation:
  J Occup Med 1994 Oct; 36(10):1133-1137
• Contact Point Address:
  Community Medicine Mount Sinai School of Medicine One Gustave L Levy Place Bx108 New York, NY 10029
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1995
• Performing Organization:
  Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19910701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational Medicine
• End Date:
  19940630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b9170ee826ff8901b0ee3cf099a42a4f56312343c75ec60e520529170aa962139486ba09110f378fe99cbcff32d72bf21acbcd64d3fec7587f74de84afb188ce
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/204211/cdc_204211_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 510.98 KB ]