A CASE SERIES OF 71 PATIENTS REFERRED TO A HOSPITAL-BASED OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE CLINIC FOR OCCUPATIONAL ASTHMA

In a ten-year period at the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Pr ogram (OEMP) of the University of Washington in Seattle, 71 patients w ere determined by attending physicians to have work-related asthma, In this cross-sectional descriptive study, we describe these patients, D ata were obtained from a database maintained by the OEMP and from char t reviews, We found that the three mast common specific agents causing asthma were isocyanates, red cedar, and crabs, At least one pulmonary function study was available for all patients and was positive in 56 patients (79%). Among the al asthma cases reported in this article, 18 (25%) were attributed to reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS) ; 19 (27%) to exacerbation elf pre-existing asthma; 27 (38%) to sensit ization; and 7 (10%) had undetermined causes, We conclude that occupat ional asthma presents as a result of diverse exposures in multiple wor k settings and with an array of characteristics. Prevention efforts ne ed to recognize this diversity.