Publications by authors named "Olfa El Maalel"

Introduction: polysensitization is often defined as sensitization to three or more contact allergens. The objectives of our study were to determine the prevalence of polysensitization to allergens patch test and to analyze the factors associated with allergen polysensitization of the European Standard Battery in comparison with cases of oligosensitization.

Methods: this is a retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study that included all patients who had undergone patch tests at the Department of Dermato-Allergology of the Department of Occupational Medicine of University Hospital Center Farhat Hached in Sousse spread over 10 years from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2018.

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Introduction: Several clinical and epidemiological data point to a possible link between smoking exposure and contact dermatitis (CD).

Aims: To identify the clinical and epidemiological differences of CD in smoking and non-smoking subjects, and to determine the influence of smoking on the allergological profile of CD.

Methods: Retrospective descriptive study who consulted the Department of Occupational Medicine and Occupational Pathology of the Farhat Hached University Hospital of Sousse (Tunisia) during a period of 8 years for exploration of CD and who were tested with the European Standard Battery (ESB).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on the link between occupational exposure and laryngeal cancer, aiming to determine how different work environments contribute to the illness.
  • Results showed significantly higher risks for laryngeal cancer among workers in the building (OR=4.621) and mechanical industry sectors (OR=5.074), along with strong associations with exposure to carcinogens like asbestos and cement dust.
  • The findings suggest a need for more research to better understand how specific occupational exposures influence the development of laryngeal cancer, with particular emphasis on isolating individual risk factors.
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a real global health crisis. Its clinical presentation has evolved over time with an increasing number of symptoms. Olfactory dysfunction (OD) has recently been recognized as a frequent symptom relevant to screening for COVID-19, especially in pauci-asymptomatic forms.

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Background: Risk factors for the severity of occupational asthma (OA) are often attributed to occupational exposure. However, some recent epidemiological data suggest a link with obesity. The study aimed to analyze the relationship between obesity and the severity of (OA) assessed by non-specific bronchial provocation.

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Background: People's lives were seriously affected by the emergence and the spread of the COVID-19 disease. Several vaccines were developed in record time to overcome this pandemic. However, putting an end to this public health problem requires substantial vaccination coverage rate.

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Unlabelled: The drafting of the initial medical certificate (IMC) is an innocuous act that can engage the responsibility of the certifier.

Aim: To evaluate the quality of the IMC and their compliance with the legal provisions and to develop good practice recommendations for the drafting of the occupational accident certificate.

Method: An epidemiological, descriptive and retrospective study was conducted in the University Hospital Center Farhat Hached (Tunisia) based on the occupational accident certificates completed by physicians during a period of 12 months.

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Aim: To study the influence of season on patch tests results.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective epidemiological study which concerned all the patients of the Tunisian center, who consulted in the Dermato-Allergology Unit of Occupational Medicine Department of Farhat Hached University Hospital-Sousse (Tunisia) over a period of 07 years. All the patients were tested by the European Standard Battery allergens (BSE).

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Background: Chronic pain (CP) is a real public health concern. It is a common cause of poor quality of life and workplace absenteeism. It is well studied in many medical and surgical fields.

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Article Synopsis
  • Shift work can lead to significant health issues, specifically an increased risk of metabolic syndrome (MS), impacting workers globally.
  • A study in Tunisia with 263 male electricity production workers showed that of those who worked shifts, 51.2% were diagnosed with MS, compared to only 27.2% of non-shift workers, indicating a strong association between shift work and MS.
  • The findings suggest the need for preventive measures, including improved working conditions, dietary changes, and regular exercise, to mitigate these health risks for shift workers.*
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  • The study investigates the relationship between stress levels and the severity of hand eczema (HE) in patients, highlighting inconsistencies in existing literature that call for further exploration.
  • Data were collected from 109 patients at a hospital, using specific tools like the Osnabrück Hand Eczema Severity Index and the Perceived Stress Scale-10 for evaluation.
  • Results showed a significant correlation between high stress levels and severe HE, with 69.7% of participants experiencing severe cases; leisure activities appeared to mitigate severity, suggesting lifestyle factors can influence HE outcomes.
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Background: Several studies demonstrated the negative impact of allergic rhinitis on Quality of Life (QOL) and occupational activities. Similar studies on allergic Occupational Rhinitis (OR) are rare. The aim of this study was to evaluate the QOL and work productivity of patients diagnosed with allergic occupational rhinitis.

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In Tunisia, few studies have been focused on occupational lumbar back accidents. We conducted a descriptive retrospective study of private sector employees in central Tunisia who were victims of lumbar back accidents, reported during a 5-year period from 2010 to 2014, to determine the prevalence and factors associated with their severity and sequelae. Data were collected from the regional centre of the National Health Insurance Fund of Sousse.

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