title: [Occupational asthma].
abstract: The occupational asthma is the most common form of lung disease caused by factors that are attributed to a specific working environment in industrialized countries. It causes variable limitation of airflow and/or hyper-responsiveness of the airway due to contact with specific agents present in an atmosphere of work and not to stimuli found out of this place. It is recognized more and more frequently, and many agents are capable of causing occupational asthma by different pathophysiological mechanisms. More than 400 agents causing occupational asthma are known and every year new triggers are detected. Numerous factors contribute to the pathogenesis of occupational asthma induced chemically, including immunological, non-immunological mechanisms of epithelial damage, airway remodeling, oxidative stress, neurogenic inflammation as well as genetic factors. The most important risk factors for occupational asthma include: atopy, smoking and genetic factors. The diagnosis is based on the clinical history, skin tests, immunological tests and functional studies. The fundamental treatment is removing the worker from exposure as soon as possible. The advance in the knowledge of the pathogenesis of occupational asthma will importantly influence in the prevention and the management of this disease.
authors.affiliation: División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, Distrito Federal, México. gricor12@yahoo.com.mx.
authors.forename: Guadalupe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rico-Rosillo
authors.forename: Julio César
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Cambray-Gutiérrez
authors.forename: Gloria Bertha
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Vega-Robledo
keywords: Asthma; Irritants induced asthma; Occupational; Reactive airways dysfunction síndrome; Work-exacerbated asthma