OBJECTIVE: To compare the long-term status of workers with occupational asthma (OA) with those of subjects with work-exacerbated asthma (WEA) and nonasthmatic (NA) workers. METHODS: We contacted 179 subjects investigated for suspected OA at Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from 1997 to 2007. Participants completed questionnaires on psychological and functional status, followed by a telephone interview about socioprofessional outcomes and health care utilization. RESULTS: The OA workers are more likely to have been removed from the workplace than the WEA workers. The health-related quality of life of all workers was still impaired. A high prevalence of psychiatric disorders was found among OA and WEA workers. Compared with WEA and OA workers, the NA group showed a higher rate of physician consultations for all causes. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of the diagnosis they received, these workers need to benefit from psychosocial support in the period after investigation for suspicion of OA.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the long-term status of workers with occupational asthma (OA) with those of subjects with work-exacerbated asthma (WEA) and nonasthmatic (NA) workers. METHODS: We contacted 179 subjects investigated for suspected OA at Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from 1997 to 2007. Participants completed questionnaires on psychological and functional status, followed by a telephone interview about socioprofessional outcomes and health care utilization. RESULTS: The OA workers are more likely to have been removed from the workplace than the WEA workers. The health-related quality of life of all workers was still impaired. A high prevalence of psychiatric disorders was found among OA and WEA workers. Compared with WEA and OA workers, the NA group showed a higher rate of physician consultations for all causes. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of the diagnosis they received, these workers need to benefit from psychosocial support in the period after investigation for suspicion of OA.
Authors: Jean-Luc Malo; Susan M Tarlo; Joaquin Sastre; James Martin; Mohamed F Jeebhay; Nicole Le Moual; Dick Heederik; Thomas Platts-Mills; Paul D Blanc; Olivier Vandenplas; Gianna Moscato; Frédéric de Blay; André Cartier Journal: Ann Am Thorac Soc Date: 2015-07