Work-related asthma in automobile spray painters: two case reports.
This report describes two patients who had developed asthma after working as automobile painters with isocyanate-based aerosol paint for two years or over. In both patients asthma was confirmed using the standard diagnostic procedure. One of the subjects was atopic. One was ex-smoker and the other had never smoked. Neither had a family history of asthma. The symptoms occurred after workplace exposure lasting two years in one patient and three in the other. As both reported work-relatedness of the symptoms, they underwent serial peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) measurement and bronchoprovocation testing. Significant work-related changes in PEFR diurnal variations and in non-specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness (NSBH) were observed in one patient, suggesting allergic occupational asthma (OA), while the other patient was diagnosed work-exacerbated asthma (WEA). Our data confirm that spray painting is an occupation with increased risk of respiratory impairment and asthma.
Institute of Occupational Health - WHO Collaborating Center for Occupational Health and GA2LEN Collaborating Center, Skopje, Macedonia. minovj@hotmail.com
Jordan
J
Minov
Jovanka
J
Karadzinska-Bislimovska
Kristin
K
Vasilevska
Snezana
S
Risteska-Kuc
Saso
S
Stoleski
D000328:Adult; D000336:Aerosols; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests; D006801:Humans; D017953:Isocyanates; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D010150:Paint / Q000009:adverse effects; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate
D000336:Aerosols; D017953:Isocyanates