[Work history].
Just as a complete patient history is fundamental to making any diagnosis, the history of environmental exposure in the workplace forms the informational base needed in order to understand occupational respiratory diseases. It is estimated that 20% of all cases of interstitial or airway disease are related to such exposure. However, information regarding potential environmental exposure is rarely included in the patient history, nor is job/occupation/function taken into consideration. Therefore, this theme has become pivotal to the discussion among health care professionals working in this area, who must decide whether evaluating and estimating the magnitude of this problem are truly desirable goals.
Bagatin
Ericson
E
Departamento de Medicina Preventiva e Social, Faculdade de Ciência Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Unicamp - Campinas (SP) Brasil. ebagatin@fcm.unicamp.br
Kitamura
Satoshi
S
D006801:Humans; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000379:methods*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*