Gender differences in work-related asthma: surveillance data from California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New Jersey, 1993–2008

Details

• Alternative Title:
  J Asthma
• Personal Author:
  White, Gretchen E. ; Seaman, Christen ; Filios, Margaret S. ; Mazurek, Jacek M. ; Flattery, Jennifer ; Harrison, Robert J. ; Reilly, Mary Jo ; Rosenman, Kenneth D. ; Lumia, Margaret E. ; Stephens, Alicia C. ; Pechter, Elise ; Fitzsimmons, Kathleen ; Davis, Letitia K.
• Description:
  Objective
  
  To characterize work-related asthma by gender.
  
  Methods
  
  We analyzed state-based sentinel surveillance data on confirmed work-related asthma cases collected from California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New Jersey during 1993–2008. We used Chi-square and Fisher’s Exact Test statistics to compare select characteristics between females and males.
  
  Results
  
  Of the 8239 confirmed work-related asthma cases, 60% were female. When compared to males with work-related asthma, females with work-related asthma were more likely to be identified through workers’ compensation (14.8% versus 10.6%) and less likely to be identified through hospital data (14.2% versus 16.9%). Moreover, when compared to males, females were more likely to have work-aggravated asthma (24.4% versus 13.5%) and less likely to have new-onset asthma (48.0% versus 56.5%). Females were also more likely than males with work-related asthma to work in healthcare and social assistance (28.7% versus 5.2%), educational services (11.8% versus 4.2%), and retail trade (5.0% versus 3.9%) industries and in office and administrative support (20.0% versus 4.0%), healthcare practitioners and technical (13.4% versus 1.6%), and education training and library (6.2% versus 1.3%) occupations. Agent groups most frequently associated with work-related asthma were miscellaneous chemicals (20.3%), cleaning materials (15.3%), and indoor air pollutants (14.9%) in females and miscellaneous chemicals (15.7%), mineral and inorganic dusts (13.2%), and pyrolysis products (12.7%) in males.
  
  Conclusions
  
  Among adults with work-related asthma, males and females differ in terms of workplace exposures, occupations, and industries. Physicians should consider these gender differences when diagnosing and treating asthma in working adults.
  
  
• Keywords:
  Adult Asthma Female Gender Differences Humans Male Occupational Asthma Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupations Population Surveillance Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome Sex Factors Surveillance United States Work-aggravated Asthma Work-related Asthma Workers' Compensation

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• Source:
  J Asthma. 51(7):691-702
• Pubmed ID:
  24673105
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4697262
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  U60OH008466/ACL HHSUnited States/ ; U60-OH-008490/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U60OH008485/ACL HHSUnited States/ ; U60-OH-008466/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U60-OH0008485/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U60-OH-008468/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U60OH008490/ACL HHSUnited States/ ; U60OH008468/ACL HHSUnited States/ ; CC999999/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  51
• Issue:
  7
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:28f35f78a7b667d3fa459b58cbfffa95e748052d5c93197681767432762974ef
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/37145/cdc_37145_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 920.97 KB ]