Reference

BOHRF Original Authors' Main Conclusions

The original authors' main conclusions are taken from Abstract, Results and Discussion. They are decided upon by the authors of the BOHRF occupational asthma guidelines and form part of the guidelines.

Factory workers making detergents containing Alcalase. 21% of those examined gave a direct positive reaction to prick tests with Alcalase. More than twice as many of the sensitised (to Alcalase) workers compared to the unsensitised workers also reacted to common allergens. 42/57 of workers who were skin prick positive to Alcalase had symptoms of 'acute chest disease.' 75/214 of workers with negative skin prick tests also reported acute chest disease. However, there was a highly significant association between these symptoms and a positive skin reaction to Alcalase. Of the sensitised men, 21.4% had a personal or family history of allergic disease and 65.5% gave positive responses to prick tests with one or more of the common allergens. For the men who were not sensitive to the enzyme, 9.5% gave a personal or family history of allergic disease and 21.4% were sensitive to one of the common allergens. Authors reported a strong statistical correlation between the positive skin prick test and symptoms.

BOHRF Associated Evidence Statements

The BOHRF occupational asthma guidelines state that this reference is associated with the following evidence statements