Abstract

Background:
Work-related asthma (WRA) is the most common chronic occupational lung disease in
developing countries and the second most common in developed countries. The median attributable risk of occupational asthma for the population is estimated to be 25%. In Thailand, there are no details on occupational and causative agents vis-à-vis WRA.

Aims:
Our aim was to describe the occupational and causative agents for WRA patients who attended the Easy Asthma Clinic (EAC), Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen, Thailand.

Methods:
This was a descriptive study: 323 participants at the Easy Asthma Clinics were identified and interviewed prior to obtaining information related to WRA symptoms and its suspected causative agents. Descriptive statistics were used for proportions.

Results:
The proportion of asthma patients with WRA was 16.7%. The top three occupations that
carried the highest risk were (a) school workers, (b) skilled agriculture, forestry, and fishery workers, and (c) manufacturing and wood workers. The top three most identified causative agents were chalk powder, smoke from burning grass/tree, and fumes from stainless steel production. Some 63.0% of WRA patients did not wear respiratory protection equipment at work and among those who did, none wore it correctly.

Conclusions:
Occupational history, causative agents, and history of asthma symptoms related to work help to determine the proportion of WRA patients. The results of the current study should thus encourage physicians to record patient occupation(s) and job descriptions, so as to remove identifiable factors, before airway remodelling occurs, which makes treatment more difficult and costly.

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