Have the prevalence and incidence of occupational asthma and rhinitis because of laboratory animals declined in the last 25 years?

Background: Data for time trends in the prevalence of occupational asthma (OA) and rhinitis (OR) are not known.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and incidence of OA and OR over time.

Methods: We chose to review studies on the prevalence and incidence of OA and OR due to laboratory animals (LA) as a marker of changing OA and OR patterns over time and analysed 15 cross-sectional and 4 longitudinal studies published from 1980 to 2006.

Smoking and occupational asthma.

Cigarette smoking is a known risk factor for many chronic illnesses such as coronary heart and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. Smoking is often described as a risk factor for occupational asthma even though its effect on the development of asthma is still under debate and the links between smoking and occupational asthma, occupational rhinitis or occupational sensitization are elusive, controversial and contradictory. This review describes these relationships in a wide range of occupations, from laboratory, farm, brewery and hospital workers, to bakers, printers, cleaners, fish processors and others as observed in cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control studies published over the past thirty-five years i.

Does an asthma education program improve quality of life? A two-year randomized trial.

Asthma education programs result in clinical improvement. However, most studies involved programs of up to 1 year of follow-up, and their efficacy in improving quality of life (QoL) is still controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a program of patient education in asthmatics over 2 years.

[Occupational asthma: role of airway inflammation and remodelling in persistent respiratory symptoms and bronchial hyper-responsiveness].

Background: Until the late 1970's occupational asthma (OA) was considered reversible once patients were removed from exposure. Unfortunately, respiratory symptoms and non-specific bronchial hyper-responsiveness (NSBH) persist in about two-thirds of patients for years after removal from the offending agent.

Objectives And Methods: This review focuses on the role of airways inflammation and remodelling in persistent respiratory symptoms and NSBH after cessation of occupational exposure.

[Clinical and functional course of occupational asthma in pharmacologic treatment and during persistent exposure. A 3-year follow-up].

According to act 626/1994, employers have the duty to inform and train workers and their representatives. The implementation of training activities requires the following points: planning the training progra according to the needs of the target population, use of the methods aimed at promoting learning and the adoption of safe behaviour, setting-up of evaluation tools. The disciplines of risk perception and communication and adult training may provide useful contribution in this frame.