A Review of Adult Asthma Morbidity and Mortality: Louisiana, 2006–2010

Details

• Personal Author:
  Lackovic M ; Lewis J
• Description:
  Asthma hospitalization and death rates for Louisiana residents predictably increased with age. Sex and race-specific data were consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Asthma Surveillance data, with females and Blacks generally having the highest hospitalization and death rates. Based on national estimates, the work environment is an important contributor to the development and exacerbation of asthma. Work history should be routinely collected by health care providers (HCPs) as part of the demographic history. It is imperative that HCPs receive adequate training in recognizing WRA cases and obtaining a thorough environmental exposure/work history for all patients. Workers must be educated about the exposure risks for known asthmagens in the constantly evolving list of high-risk industries and occupations. Asthmatics who smoke typically have worsened and more frequent symptoms than non-smokers. Early diagnosis of potentially work-related respiratory symptoms may prevent further development of asthma and help detect those with other pre-existing health conditions who may be at risk. Early assessments would also assist in identifying more WRA cases. The Louisiana Occupational Health and Injury Surveillance Program, housed in DHH Office of Public Health's Section of Environmental Epidemiology and Toxicology, focuses on identifying workers at high risk for occupational morbidity or mortality and providing the data to reduce occupational injuries and diseases through targeted preventive measures. This report reflects a first step in addressing the burden of work-related asthma in Louisiana. It has several limitations: inclusion of all asthma hospitalizations, not individuals; difficulty identifying work-related cases; and incomplete reporting by hospitals to LAHIDD. Approximately 80 percent of licensed, acute-care hospitals provided data to LAHIDD between 2006 and 2010. In addition, inconsistencies and errors in both coding and reporting may introduce data gaps. Such data limitations should be noted if conducting exploratory ecological studies with these data. Next steps include analyzing data by combined sex and race and co-morbidities, and partnering with the Louisiana Asthma Management and Prevention Program to identify strategies targeting occupational asthma. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Asthma Asthma, Occupational Epidemiology Morbidity Mortality Occupational Health Race Factors Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Sex Characteristics

  More +
• Keywords:
  Age Factors Morbidity Rates Mortality Rates Occupational Asthma Racial Factors Respiratory Diseases Sex Factors Surveillance
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Newsletter
• Place as Subject:
  Louisiana ; OSHA Region 6
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  24
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061547
• Citation:
  LA Morb Rep 2013 Jan-Feb; 24(1):3, 6
• Email:
  jocelyn.lewis@la.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Performing Organization:
  Louisiana State Office of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Louisiana Morbidity Report
• End Date:
  20150630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:036ffbf636d71fc2a1c8c77e0fe7d4b56a6f7b6c5b5e5e2945bc2ad1b9b81a2b9534415989180520ca2d476eb090c474034f39a61a34d68bcf918a562c6d8e71
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225053/cdc_225053_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 155.61 KB ]