title: Are operating room nurses at higher risk of severe persistent asthma? The Nurses' Health Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the associations between operating room (OR) nursing, a category of health care workers at high risk of exposure to various inhaled agents, and asthma severity/control among women with asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  The level of severity/control in nurses with prevalent doctor-diagnosed asthma in 1998/2000 was compared, using nominal logistic regression, in OR nursing (n = 69) and administrative nursing (n = 546) from the US Nurses' Health Study for whom detailed information on asthma and nursing employment status was available.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed a significant association between OR nursing, compared with administrative nursing, and severe persistent asthma (adjusted odds ratio, 2.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.06 to 5.77).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that nurses working in the OR are at a higher risk of severe persistent asthma. Further studies with detailed estimates of occupational exposures, especially to disinfectant/cleaning agents, are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Respiratory and Environmental Epidemiology Team, Inserm, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health, U1018, Université Paris Sud 11, Villejuif, France. nicole.lemoual@inserm.fr
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Le Moual
authors.forename: Raphaëlle
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Varraso
authors.forename: Jan Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Zock
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Henneberger
authors.forename: Frank E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Speizer
authors.forename: Francine
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kauffmann
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Camargo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D009871:Operating Room Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009873:Operating Rooms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors