OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at characterizing the nature, severity, and timing of nasal and ocular symptoms in subjects with work-exacerbated asthma (WEA). METHODS: Among the 363 subjects referred to a tertiary-care hospital for the investigation of work-related asthma symptoms, 105 subjects who demonstrated non-specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness to histamine, but a negative response to a specific inhalation challenge with the suspected occupational agent(s) were considered as having WEA. Their characteristics were compared with those of 172 subjects with occupational asthma (OA), ascertained by a positive response to a specific inhalation challenge. RESULTS: A high proportion of subjects with WEA (83%) and OA (90%) reported at least one nasal symptom at work. Sneezing/itching and rhinorrhea were more frequent in subjects with OA (78% and 70%, respectively) than in those with WEA (61%, p = 0.004 and 57%, p = 0.038, respectively), while post-nasal discharge was more common in WEA (30%) than in OA (18%, p = 0.019). Nasal symptoms were less severe in WEA (median [25th-75th percentiles] global severity score: 4 [2-6]) as compared to OA (5 [4-7], p < 0.001). Nasal symptoms preceded less frequently those of asthma in subjects with WEA (17%) than in subjects with OA (43%, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Nasal symptoms are highly prevalent in subjects with WEA, although their clinical pattern differs from that found in OA. Further investigations of the health and socio-economic impacts of upper airways symptoms in WEA are required to improve the understanding and management of this common condition. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at characterizing the nature, severity, and timing of nasal and ocular symptoms in subjects with work-exacerbated asthma (WEA). METHODS: Among the 363 subjects referred to a tertiary-care hospital for the investigation of work-related asthma symptoms, 105 subjects who demonstrated non-specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness to histamine, but a negative response to a specific inhalation challenge with the suspected occupational agent(s) were considered as having WEA. Their characteristics were compared with those of 172 subjects with occupational asthma (OA), ascertained by a positive response to a specific inhalation challenge. RESULTS: A high proportion of subjects with WEA (83%) and OA (90%) reported at least one nasal symptom at work. Sneezing/itching and rhinorrhea were more frequent in subjects with OA (78% and 70%, respectively) than in those with WEA (61%, p = 0.004 and 57%, p = 0.038, respectively), while post-nasal discharge was more common in WEA (30%) than in OA (18%, p = 0.019). Nasal symptoms were less severe in WEA (median [25th-75th percentiles] global severity score: 4 [2-6]) as compared to OA (5 [4-7], p < 0.001). Nasal symptoms preceded less frequently those of asthma in subjects with WEA (17%) than in subjects with OA (43%, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Nasal symptoms are highly prevalent in subjects with WEA, although their clinical pattern differs from that found in OA. Further investigations of the health and socio-economic impacts of upper airways symptoms in WEA are required to improve the understanding and management of this common condition. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors: J Bousquet; G L Onorato; C Bachert; M Barbolini; A Bedbrook; L Bjermer; J Correia de Sousa; N H Chavannes; A A Cruz; E De Manuel Keenoy; P Devillier; J Fonseca; S Hun; T Kostka; P W Hellings; M Illario; J C Ivancevich; D Larenas-Linnemann; J Millot-Keurinck; D Ryan; B Samolinski; A Sheikh; A Yorgancioglu; I Agache; S Arnavielhe; M Bewick; I Annesi-Maesano; J M Anto; K C Bergmann; C Bindslev-Jensen; S Bosnic-Anticevich; J Bouchard; D P Caimmi; P Camargos; G W Canonica; V Cardona; A M Carriazo; C Cingi; E Colgan; A Custovic; R Dahl; P Demoly; G De Vries; W J Fokkens; J F Fontaine; B Gemicioğlu; N Guldemond; Z Gutter; T Haahtela; B Hellqvist-Dahl; E Jares; G Joos; J Just; N Khaltaev; T Keil; L Klimek; M L Kowalski; I Kull; P Kuna; V Kvedariene; D Laune; R Louis; A Magnan; J Malva; E Mathieu-Dupas; E Melén; E Menditto; M Morais-Almeida; R Mösges; J Mullol; R Murray; H Neffen; R O'Hehir; S Palkonen; N G Papadopoulos; G Passalacqua; J L Pépin; F Portejoie; D Price; B Pugin; F Raciborski; F E R Simons; M Sova; O Spranger; C Stellato; A Todo Bom; P V Tomazic; M Triggiani; A Valero; E Valovirta; O VandenPlas; A Valiulis; M van Eerd; M T Ventura; M Wickman; I Young; T Zuberbier; A Zurkuhlen; A Senn Journal: Clin Transl Allergy Date: 2017-10-23 Impact factor: 5.871