Incidence of work-related asthma in members of a health maintenance organization.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to evaluate work-related asthma among health maintenance organization (HMO) members. Recent reports suggest that the incidence of work-related asthma may be much higher than Sentinel Event Notification Systems for Occupational Risks (SENSOR) data estimate.


METHODS
Using the HMO's electronic medical record, we identified 1,747 persons with evidence of new or recurrent asthma. Interviews with 352 of them elicited information about workplace exposures, symptoms, and home environment. Industrial hygienists rated the potential asthmagenicity of the respondents' work environments.


RESULTS
Based on the industrial hygienist ratings and self-reported work-relatedness of asthma symptoms, we classified 33% of those interviewed as having potentially work-related asthma, suggesting an overall work-related asthma incidence/recurrence rate of 28 cases per 10,000.


CONCLUSIONS
The contribution of occupation to the occurrence of adult onset asthma may be much higher than typically suggested in the literature.
Vollmer
William M
WM
Center for Health Research and Northwest Permanent Associates, PC, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, Oregon 97227-1110, USA. william.vollmer@kpchr.org
Heumann
Michael A
MA
Breen
Victor R
VR
Henneberger
Paul K
PK
O'connor
Elizabeth A
EA
Villnave
Jacqueline M
JM
Frazier
E Ann
EA
Buist
A Sonia
AS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D009922:Oregon