Asthma, employment status, and disability among adults treated by pulmonary and allergy specialists.
OBJECTIVE
Identify risk factors for work disability among adults with asthma treated by pulmonary and allergy specialists.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey, including retrospective work history data.


METHODS
Sixty-eight pulmonary and 16 allergy internal medicine subspecialists maintaining a registry of patient visits for asthma; 698 registered patients aged 18 to 50 years, of whom 601 (86%) were studied.


METHODS
Computer-assisted, telephone-administered structured interview assessing asthma severity, perceived general health status, asthma quality of life, demographics, and work history. Complete work disability defined as total work cessation attributed to asthma; partial work disability defined as change in job, duties, or reduction in work hours attributed to asthma.


RESULTS
Complete cessation of work due to asthma was reported by 40 (7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5 to 9%) and partial work disability by 53 (10%; 95% CI, 7 to 12%) of 550 subjects with a history of labor force participation. Severity of asthma score predicted both complete disability (odds ratio [OR], 7.9; 95% CI, 4.2 to 15 per 10-point increment) and partial disability (OR 2.6; 95% CI, 1.6 to 4.2). Taking illness severity into account, job conditions, occupation, and work exertion carried a combined disability OR of 3.9 (95% CI, 1.7 to 8.6).


CONCLUSIONS
Work disability is common among adults with asthma receiving specialist care. Severity of disease is a powerful predictor, but not the sole predictor of disability in this group. Working conditions, including job-related exposures, are associated with added disability risk even after taking illness severity into account.
Blanc
P D
PD
Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 94143-0924, USA.
Cisternas
M
M
Smith
S
S
Yelin
E H
EH
D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D015272:Pulmonary Medicine; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors