Hospitalization in Winnipeg, Canada due to occupational disease: a pilot study.
BACKGROUND
The objectives of this study were to identify the extent of occupational exposures to hazardous substances amongst male medical inpatients and to determine the extent to which these exposures may have contributed to the development of medical conditions.


METHODS
A random sample of 297 male who were admitted from outside the hospital to the medical wards to a large tertiary care hospital, were between age 18-75 and could communicate in English completed an occupational history questionnaire. This information was merged with an inpatient database which contained patient demographics, admission diagnoses, and co-morbidity data. A specialist in occupational medicine and internal medicine determined whether the medical conditions the participants had were related to their exposures.


RESULTS
One individual had a condition causing admission that was related to his work and 12 others (4%) had a condition that was possibly related to their work which had caused symptoms. One additional individual was found to have asymptomatic asbestos related pleural fibrosis. Fourteen of 37 possible harmful occupational exposures were reported by more than 10% of the study participants. On average each participant reported 5.5 exposures.


CONCLUSIONS
Occupational exposures to male medical inpatients are common. For 4.4% (13/297) of male admissions to the general medical wards from the emergency room occupational factors may have played a role in the development of medical conditions which led to admission or to major co-morbidities. Detailed occupational histories will likely lead to more suspected cases of work related medical admissions.
Kraut
Allen G
AG
Departments of Internal Medicine and Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. a kraut@cc.umanitoba.ca
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015984:Causality; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000032:analysis*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008350:Manitoba / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D055815:Young Adult
D015386:Hazardous Substances