Work-Related Asthma: Diagnosis and Prognosis of Immunological Occupational Asthma and Work-Exacerbated Asthma

Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology

E Barreiro¹  JL Lopez-Campos⁴  V Bustamante²  MJ Cruz³  X Muñoz⁵ 

[1] Pulmonology Department-Muscle Research and Respiratory System Unit (URMAR), Institut Hospital del Mar d’Investigacions Mèdiques (IMIM)-Hospital del Mar, Department of Experimental and Health Sciences (CEXS), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (PRBB), Barcelona, Spain;Pneumology Department, Hospital Universitario Basurto, Osakidetza/University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain;Centro de Investigación en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain;Unidad Médico-quirúrgica de Enfermedades Respiratorias. Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBIS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain;Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

关键词: Irritants;    Workplace;    Peak expiratory flow;    Specific inhalation challenge;   

Others  :  1183650

【 摘 要 】

The incidence and prevalence of asthma are increasing. One reason for this trend is the rise in adult-onset asthma, especially occupational asthma, which is 1 of the 2 forms of work-related asthma. Occupational asthma is defined as asthma caused by agents that are present exclusively in the workplace. The presence of pre-existing asthma does not rule out the possibility of developing occupational asthma. A distinction has traditionally been made between immunological occupational asthma (whether IgE-mediated or not) and nonimmunological occupational asthma caused by irritants, the most characteristic example of which is reactive airway dysfunction syndrome. The other form of work-related asthma is known as work-exacerbated asthma, which affects persons with pre-existing or concurrent asthma that is worsened by work-related factors. It is important to differentiate between the 2 entities because their treatment, prognosis, and medical
and social repercussions can differ widely. In this review, we discuss diagnostic methods, treatment, and avoidance/nonavoidance of the antigen in immunological occupational asthma and work-exacerbated asthma.