Clinical and socioeconomic features of subjects with red cedar asthma. A follow-up study.

A follow-up study of 128 subjects with red cedar asthma was conducted to evaluate the clinical and socioeconomic impact of the disease in determining the working status of the subjects after the diagnosis was made. The results suggest that the severity of asthma is not the main determinant of working status. Comparing the data at diagnosis and at follow-up examination, we found that the persistence of exposure resulted in a deterioration in the asthma despite the use of more medications. Subjects who were working were younger and had a larger number of dependents than the subjects who were not working at the time of the follow-up examination. We conclude that the socioeconomic factors are important in determining the working status of subjects with red cedar asthma. To prevent severe impairment and disability, there should be more economic incentives for these subjects to choose other jobs.