Respiratory diseases and pesticide exposure: a case-control study in Lebanon.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the odds of being exposed to pesticides in asthmatic adults.


METHODS
A case-control study was performed in Lebanon.


METHODS
People were approached when consulting physicians as outpatients.


METHODS
Asthmatic patients and non-asthmatic controls in several Lebanese hospitals were interviewed.


RESULTS
The study included 407 subjects from 10 medical centres. Any exposure to pesticides was associated to asthma (OR = 2.11 (1.47 to 3.02); p<10(-4)). Occupational use presented the highest association (OR = 4.98 (1.07 to 23.28); p = 0.02), followed by regional exposure (OR 3.51 (2.11 to 5.85); p<10(-4)). Results were confirmed by multivariate analysis, particularly for regional exposure (OR(a) = 2.78; p = 0.02) and house exposure (OR(a) = 2.17; p = 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Results are comparable to those found in other studies; especially for occupational exposure. Pesticides toxicological effects may explain chronic respiratory symptoms and asthma associations found with all exposure types. Pesticide exposure was associated with asthma in Lebanese adults.
Salameh
Pascale
P
Lebanese University, Lebanon. pascalesalameh@yahoo.com
Waked
Mirna
M
Baldi
Isabelle
I
Brochard
Patrick
P
Saleh
Bernadette Abi
BA
D000328:Adult; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D001249:Asthma / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007861:Lebanon / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010575:Pesticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D010575:Pesticides