Retrospective view of epidemiology of occupational diseases of respiratory pathways: What the development in the next year will be?

Czech version

Authors: S. Perečinský; A. Jančová; M. Varga; Ľ. Legáth
Authors‘ workplace: Klinika pracovného lekárstva a klinickej toxikológie LF Univerzity P. J. Šafárika a Univerzitnej nemocnice L. Pasteura, Košice, prednosta doc. MUDr. Ľubomír Legáth, PhD.
Published in: Pracov. Lék., 64, 2012, No. 1, s. 13-17.
Category: Original Papers

Overview

Occupational rhinitis and occupational asthma are important, often occurring diseases. Occupational asthma is the most frequent occupational disease of the respiratory system in most countries. Rhinitis also belongs to frequent health damage from work. The objective of the work was to analyze patients who were diagnosed occupational rhinitis and occupational asthma at the clinic in the years 1990–2011.

In the given period of time asthma was confirmed as an occupational disease in 89 cases. Occupational rhinitis was acknowledged in 32 patients. Occupational asthma occurred most frequently in agriculture, where this sector greatly prevailed over other branches in the early 90ties. Occupational asthma also occurred relatively often in the food processing industry and textile industry, whereas the other branches were represented less. From the mid 90ties, however, occupational asthma in agriculture and textile industry completely disappeared. Occupational asthma reports completely ceased from 2007. In the last years occupational asthma rather occurred in sectors, where the employees had been exposed to chemical allergens and irritating compounds. The group of patients with occupational rhinitis proved to be different with agriculture being represented by two cases only. Food processing industry prevailed in this group with the most often occurring occupation of baker.

Bronchial asthma and rhinitis belong to frequent work-related health damages, but the occupational disease status has been rarely acknowledged. It is necessary to draw more attention to these diseases and henceforth pay attention to investigation of these diseases. In view of the specificity and complicated diagnosis it is useful to centralize the patients to workplaces, which are specifically concerned with these diseases. Last but not least, physicians should be educated in related areas.

Key words:
occupational asthma – occupational rhinitis – prevalence

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