title: Occupational diseases compensated in the Basque Country (Spain) from 1990 to 2008.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Spain, and some of its regions in particular, report higher rates of occupational diseases than many other countries in Europe. We describe the distribution and temporal trend of compensated occupational diseases among the working population of the Basque Country, a heavy industrialized Spanish region, from 1990 to 2008.
  
  
  METHODS
  Employment data and occupational disease data were obtained from the Spanish Institute of Statistics and the Basque and Spanish Social Security Departments, respectively. Annual incidence of occupational diseases and temporal trends were computed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Occupational diseases (33,547) were reported among workers in the Basque Country between 1990 and 2008. The occupational disease incidence increased sixfold during the study period, mainly due to less severe cases. The most frequent occupational diseases were caused by physical agents (85%), principally musculoskeletal disorders. The occupational disease incidence in Basque Country was two to six times higher than in most other regions of Spain and Europe.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rise in compensated occupational illnesses in the Basque Country is likely due to a mixture of better recognition of such illnesses and changes in laws, regulations, and administrative procedures. Chronic occupational diseases such as cancer and chronic respiratory diseases, however, remain under-reported, and care for people with such illnesses represents an undue financial burden on the public health care system and on their families.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health, Social Policy, and Equality, Madrid, Spain. mgarciag@msssi.es
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: García Gómez
authors.forename: Félix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Urbaneja Arrúe
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Markowitz
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Castañeda López
authors.forename: Patricia López
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Menduiña
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult