Occupational asthma is a lungs disorder. In this, the breathing passage shrinks, swells, or becomes inflamed or congested due to exposure to irritants in the workplace which are most of the times airborne.
People working in hazardous chemical factories have a high chance of getting this disease as they are exposed to harmful chemicals which can cause any of the above mentioned symptoms. In this case, the patient will not be born with the disease but can contract the disease due to being continuously exposed to harmful airborne substances.
Some people like dental hygienists are exposed to chemical called latex, bakers are in constant contact with flour, welders and nickel workers are exposed to the dust particles of nickel, platinum and chronic acid and plastic manufacturers are exposed to glues and resins.
Farmers and veterinarians are exposed to animal proteins and carpenters are exposed to airborne irritants like wood particles and dust. All these people have a higher chance of contracting this disease due to their constant exposure to irritants.
Diagnosis of Occupational Asthma
The first step to help diagnose this disease is to conduct a thorough physical examination of the patient in order to determine whether he has any previous history of the ailment. The medical history must explore the following:
- The Patient's Occupation: Whether the kind of work he does exposes him to any airborne chemicals which can trigger an asthma attack.
- The Symptoms Displayed: The many symptoms that are displayed by the patient, the ones that pertain to the disease.
- The Severity: When these symptoms are displayed, how often they are displayed and the severity of these symptoms.
A medical practitioner will conduct pulmonary function tests which will show whether the asthma was triggered by job related exposures.
In order to pinpoint the cause of the disease, a challenge test may be conducted in which the patient may be asked to inhale certain substances after which the doctor will record the body’s response to them.
Treatment Measures for Occupational Asthma
It is very necessary that exposure to such agents be reduced in order to treat occupational asthma. However, it is not possible for people to change their line of function so easily; hence most doctors suggest medication which may help the person get relief from this ailment.
Some drugs like leukotriene can help in managing asthma. Other than this, breathing aids like pumps are prescribed to most people and in extreme cases a nebulizer may be prescribed by a doctor. However, a person suffering from occupational asthma must know what symptoms trigger the attack, how to control them and what is to be done in case of asthma attack.
Preventive Measures for Occupational Asthma
It is very important that the person should avoid contact with elements which trigger breathing problems. This is the first and the most important step to prevent the occurrence of occupational asthma.
Secondly, the affected person must consult a trained medical practitioner to administer drugs in order to gain relief from breathing problems. Medical intervention has helped in preventing occupational asthma for people exposed to working in contact with complex platinum salts and for those working in the detergent enzyme industry.
Studies conducted on occupational asthma have revealed that this disease is preventable provided the affected person takes care to avoid contact with harmful elements and consults a trained medical practitioner for treatment of this lung disease.
Medical health surveillance programs in conjunction with occupational hygiene methods and education of workers have given better results in a bid to prevent this disease. However, further research is needed to find out how frequently such surveillance programs should be conducted. Till then tertiary preventive measures will also be needed other than the primary and secondary measures to prevent occupational asthma.
