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.

Subjects observed on average 4 years after diagnosis - 96 continued to work with red cedar, 136 left the industry. Of these, only 55/136 recovered completely whereas 81 were still symptomatic. Those that recovered were younger, had significantly better pulmonary function and a lesser degree of non-specific bronchial hyper-responsiveness at time of diagnosis, indicating diagnosis at an earlier stage of the disease. A higher proportion of patients who recovered had late asthmatic reaction on inhalation provocation test at time of diagnosis. All 96 subjects still exposed had respiratory symptoms and required medication. Authors concluded that the most important determinant of favourable outcome is early diagnosis and removal from exposure. Partial removal from exposure did not prevent the decline in lung function.

BOHRF Associated Evidence Statements

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