Balogun RA, Siracusa A, Shusterman D. Occupational rhinitis and occupational asthma: Association or progression?
Am J Ind Med 2018;
61:293-307. [PMID:
29411403 DOI:
10.1002/ajim.22819]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Occupational asthma is the most frequently reported occupational respiratory disease in registries, and is often co-diagnosed with occupational rhinitis. We undertook a systematic review of the English-language epidemiologic literature linking these two conditions, with emphasis on progression from occupational rhinitis to occupational asthma.
METHODS
PubMed and Embase were queried in a series of structured searches designed to identify studies comparing occupational asthma and occupational rhinitis incidence or prevalence in occupationally exposed individuals.
RESULTS
The searches yielded a total of 109 unique citations, 15 of which yielded inferential data on the occupational rhinitis-asthma relationship. Nine of fifteen studies showed statistically significant associations between the occurrence of occupational rhinitis and occupational asthma among individual workers.
CONCLUSIONS
Limited data support the notion that occupational rhinitis precedes the development of occupational asthma, particularly when high-molecular-weight (HMW) agents are involved. The relationship between the two conditions could not be evaluated in many relevant studies due to a lack of cross-tabulation of individual cases.
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