Campo Paloma, Lummus Zana L, Bernstein David I
Division of Immunology-Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2004 Mar;10(2):142-6. doi: 10.1097/00063198-200403000-00009.
Diagnosing occupational asthma (OA) is a complex undertaking, the primary goal of which is to demonstrate a causal relation between exposure to a specific agent encountered at work and asthmatic responses. Recent development or refinement of diagnostic tools may improve the diagnostic accuracy, which may have important economic and social consequences for both employers and workers.
Although specific inhalation challenge (SIC) testing is the gold standard for diagnosis of OA, these tests are not widely available in many countries. Thus, new less invasive techniques used in the measurement of airway inflammation, such as exhaled nitric oxide and induced sputum are highlighted as are recent developments in both in vivo and in vitro immunologic testing.
Although new perspectives are being evaluated, the diagnosis of occupational asthma still relies mostly on specific inhalation challenge. Further studies are required to confirm the utility of these new techniques in the diagnosis of OA.
诊断职业性哮喘（OA）是一项复杂的工作，其主要目标是证明工作中接触特定物质与哮喘反应之间存在因果关系。诊断工具的最新发展或改进可能会提高诊断准确性，这可能对雇主和工人都产生重要的经济和社会影响。
尽管特异性吸入激发（SIC）试验是诊断OA的金标准，但这些试验在许多国家并不广泛可用。因此，文中强调了用于测量气道炎症的新的微创技术，如呼出一氧化氮和诱导痰，以及体内和体外免疫检测的最新进展。
尽管正在评估新的观点，但职业性哮喘的诊断仍然主要依赖于特异性吸入激发试验。需要进一步研究以证实这些新技术在OA诊断中的效用。
