BACKGROUND: At present there is no internationally agreed definition of occupational asthma and there is a lack of guidance regarding the resources that should be readily available to physicians running specialist occupational asthma services. AIMS: To agree a working definition of occupational asthma and to develop a framework of resources necessary to run a specialist occupational asthma clinic. METHOD: A modified RAND appropriateness method was used to gain a consensus of opinion from an expert panel of clinicians running specialist occupational asthma clinics in the UK. RESULTS: Consensus was reached over 10 terms defining occupational asthma including: occupational asthma is defined as asthma induced by exposure in the working environment to airborne dusts vapours or fumes, with or without pre-existing asthma; occupational asthma encompasses the terms "sensitiser-induced asthma" and "acute irritant-induced asthma" (reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS)); acute irritant-induced asthma is a type of occupational asthma where there is no latency and no immunological sensitisation and should only be used when a single high exposure has occurred; and the term "work-related asthma" can be used to include occupational asthma, acute irritant-induced asthma (RADS) and aggravation of pre-existing asthma. Disagreement arose on whether low dose irritant-induced asthma existed, but the panel agreed that if it did exist they would include it in the definition of "work-related asthma". The panel agreed on a set of 18 resources which should be available to a specialist occupational asthma service. These included pre-bronchodilator FEV1 and FVC (% predicted); peak flow monitoring (and plotting of results, OASYS II analysis); non-specific provocation challenge in the laboratory and specific IgE to a wide variety of occupational agents. CONCLUSION: It is hoped that the outcome of this process will improve uniformity of definition and investigation of occupational asthma across the UK.
BACKGROUND: At present there is no internationally agreed definition of occupational asthma and there is a lack of guidance regarding the resources that should be readily available to physicians running specialist occupational asthma services. AIMS: To agree a working definition of occupational asthma and to develop a framework of resources necessary to run a specialist occupational asthma clinic. METHOD: A modified RAND appropriateness method was used to gain a consensus of opinion from an expert panel of clinicians running specialist occupational asthma clinics in the UK. RESULTS: Consensus was reached over 10 terms defining occupational asthma including: occupational asthma is defined as asthma induced by exposure in the working environment to airborne dusts vapours or fumes, with or without pre-existing asthma; occupational asthma encompasses the terms "sensitiser-induced asthma" and "acute irritant-induced asthma" (reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS)); acute irritant-induced asthma is a type of occupational asthma where there is no latency and no immunological sensitisation and should only be used when a single high exposure has occurred; and the term "work-related asthma" can be used to include occupational asthma, acute irritant-induced asthma (RADS) and aggravation of pre-existing asthma. Disagreement arose on whether low dose irritant-induced asthma existed, but the panel agreed that if it did exist they would include it in the definition of "work-related asthma". The panel agreed on a set of 18 resources which should be available to a specialist occupational asthma service. These included pre-bronchodilator FEV1 and FVC (% predicted); peak flow monitoring (and plotting of results, OASYS II analysis); non-specific provocation challenge in the laboratory and specific IgE to a wide variety of occupational agents. CONCLUSION: It is hoped that the outcome of this process will improve uniformity of definition and investigation of occupational asthma across the UK.
Authors: Anthony De Soyza; Amanda J Hall; Eshwar Mahenthiralingam; Pavel Drevinek; Wieslaw Kaca; Zuzanna Drulis-Kawa; Stoyanka R Stoitsova; Veronika Toth; Tom Coenye; James E A Zlosnik; Jane L Burns; Isabel Sá-Correia; Daniel De Vos; Jean-Paul Pirnay; Timothy J Kidd; David Reid; Jim Manos; Jens Klockgether; Lutz Wiehlmann; Burkhard Tümmler; Siobhán McClean; Craig Winstanley Journal: Microbiologyopen Date: 2013-11-11 Impact factor: 3.139
Authors: Lena S Jönsson; Håkan Tinnerberg; Helene Jacobsson; Ulla Andersson; Anna Axmon; Jørn Nielsen Journal: Int Arch Occup Environ Health Date: 2015-03-06 Impact factor: 3.015