Causes, diagnosis and treatment of occupational asthma

Authors

  • Rahmathulla Safiyul Rahman Department of Internal Medicine, Sameera Medical Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Hussain Radhi Al Ebrahim College of Medicine, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain
  • Jarallah Hadi Alqahtani Department of Internal Medicine, Aseer Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia
  • Danah Jazaa Alomani College of Medicine, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain
  • Atheer Yusof Al-lihaibi College of Medicine, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain
  • Mubarak Mohamed Althaidy College of Medicine, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain
  • Mansour Saad Mohammed College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
  • Haneen Sameer Aldosari College of Medicine, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain
  • Reem Emad Alsayed College of Medicine, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain
  • Marah Rashed Aljassar College of Medicine, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain
  • Farah Rashed Aljassar Department of Internal Medicine, Farwaniya Hospital, Kuwait City, Kuwait

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20214083

Keywords:

Occupational asthma, Etiology, Diagnosis, Treatment

Abstract

Occupational asthma is usually characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness, airway obstruction, and airway inflammation that usually result from exposure to specific irritants in the workplace and is not usually associated with any evidence of exacerbation outside the workplace. Occupational asthma can be associated with complicated long-term outcomes because affected patients are not usually aware of the hazards of the condition. Therefore, applying adequate diagnostic and management approaches is essential to enhance the outcomes among high-risk workers. In the present literature review, we have discussed the causes, diagnosis, and management of occupational asthma based on the evidence obtained from the current studies in the literature. Our findings indicated the presence of various environmental triggers that can lead to the development of asthma in the workplace, including HMW and LMW compounds. The diagnosis of asthma is based on obtaining a thorough personal and clinical history from the affected patient. However, such approaches have been reported to have low specificity rates, and therefore, the diagnosis should be established by other measures as lung function tests. The management of asthma is hugely dependent on the clinical phenotypes of occupational asthma. Nevertheless, applying adequate interventions can significantly enhance the outcomes in the affected patients, in addition to the other measures that have been adequately discussed in the manuscript.

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Published

2021-10-27

How to Cite

Rahman, R. S., Ebrahim, H. R. A., Alqahtani, J. H., Alomani, D. J., Al-lihaibi, A. Y., Althaidy, M. M., Mohammed, M. S., Aldosari, H. S., Alsayed, R. E., Aljassar, M. R., & Aljassar, F. R. (2021). Causes, diagnosis and treatment of occupational asthma. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 8(11), 5545–5550. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20214083

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Section

Review Articles