title: Repeated case-control studies as a method of surveillance for asthma in occupations.
abstract: Our aim was to establish whether the case-control design may be applied in surveillance for occupational asthma. In a region with intensive manufacturing industries, we carried out one case-control study from 1974 to 1978 and another from 1989 to 1993; 325 and 387 pairs of cases of asthma and of age- and sex-matched control subjects, respectively, were selected. Current risks were found to be higher than past estimates for painters, farmers, millers/bakers, textile, wood/ furniture, and chemical workers. High risks for asthma have recently appeared in leather, polyurethane plastics, hospital and food industry workers, welders, and shoemakers. It is concluded that the case-control approach may be used to describe variations in asthma risk by occupational categories and time. A method to measure the efficiency of the diagnostic process for occupational asthma is also proposed.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Medicina del Lavoro, Università di Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mastrangelo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bombana
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Priante
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Saia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012307:Risk Factors