title: [Occupational asthma: Clinical and professional profile of the Tunisian asthmatic worker].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Asthma takes up a great importance in occupational diseases but remains underestimated as it is insufficiently diagnosed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to access the clinical and professional profile of the Tunisian asthmatic worker.
  
  
  METHODS
  It was a retrospective descriptive study in a professional pathology unit in a university hospital. All patients referred by their doctor for symptoms suggestive of occupational asthma, during a period from 2000 to 2008, were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-eight patients were selected from 172. The mean age was 40 years, with a male predominance (56 %). In 2/3 of the cases, it was the textile workers, food and chemical industry. The etiological agents incriminated were textile dust in 18.8 % of cases followed by isocyanates and flour. Typical episodes of wheezing dyspnea were present in 52 % and atopy in 54.2 % of workers. In 2 % of cases, symptoms disappeared and worsened in 18.8 %.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prognosis of OA depends on early end accurate diagnosis. The physician's role is to initiate the appropriate diagnostic approach, which must comply with the Tunisian conditions.
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie-allergologie, CHU La Rabta, unité de recherche 12SP06, faculté de médecine de Tunis, université de Tunis El Manar, 1007, Tunis, Tunisie. Electronic address: toujanisonia@gmail.com.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toujani
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie-allergologie, CHU La Rabta, unité de recherche 12SP06, faculté de médecine de Tunis, université de Tunis El Manar, 1007, Tunis, Tunisie.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hedhli
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie-allergologie, CHU La Rabta, unité de recherche 12SP06, faculté de médecine de Tunis, université de Tunis El Manar, 1007, Tunis, Tunisie.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mjid
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie-allergologie, CHU Mongi Slim, faculté de médecine de Tunis, université de Tunis El Manar, 2070, Sidi Daoud, La Marsa, Tunisie.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ben Salah
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie-allergologie, CHU La Rabta, unité de recherche 12SP06, faculté de médecine de Tunis, université de Tunis El Manar, 1007, Tunis, Tunisie.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ouahchy
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie-allergologie, CHU Mongi Slim, faculté de médecine de Tunis, université de Tunis El Manar, 2070, Sidi Daoud, La Marsa, Tunisie.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Louzir
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie-allergologie, CHU La Rabta, unité de recherche 12SP06, faculté de médecine de Tunis, université de Tunis El Manar, 1007, Tunis, Tunisie.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Daghfous
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie-allergologie, CHU La Rabta, unité de recherche 12SP06, faculté de médecine de Tunis, université de Tunis El Manar, 1007, Tunis, Tunisie.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mhiri
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie-allergologie, CHU La Rabta, unité de recherche 12SP06, faculté de médecine de Tunis, université de Tunis El Manar, 1007, Tunis, Tunisie.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cherif
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie-allergologie, CHU La Rabta, unité de recherche 12SP06, faculté de médecine de Tunis, université de Tunis El Manar, 1007, Tunis, Tunisie.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beji
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D059366:Asthma, Occupational / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Allergie; Allergy; Asthme professionnel; Epidemiology; Occupational asthma; Épidémiologie