Leira Håkon Lasse, Bratt Unni, Slåstad Siri
Department of Occupational Medicine, St. Olavs University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.
Am J Ind Med. 2005 Nov;48(5):359-64. doi: 10.1002/ajim.20213.
Estimates of occupational asthma (OA) may vary between countries and within countries. An overview of cases of occupational asthma in Norway has not been presented previously. Norwegian physicians are obliged to report occupational diseases to the Labor Inspection Authority. The registry of these notifications was used to study the cases of OA.
Data were collected from the notifications for respiratory disease for the period 1995-1999. A postal questionnaire inquiring into work, respiratory symptoms, smoking, and socioeconomic consequences of the disease was sent to 1,239 workers with a physician's diagnosis of obstructive respiratory disease.
The response rate to the questionnaire was 81% (1,000 workers of whom 723 had OA). On an average, 223 annual cases of OA were reported in the study period (1995-1999). The highest incidence of notifications was found in the primary aluminum industry and in bakers, car painters, and welders. At the time of notification, more than half of the workers had left their original jobs. At the time of this study 2-6 years later, approximately the same proportion of workers had experienced a reduction in income and had received financial compensation; 60-78% were still on antiasthmatic medication.
The notification of OA by Norwegian physicians may underestimate the true incidence considerably. A majority of the notified cases seemed to become chronic despite medical treatment.
More emphasis should be put on early recognition of OA and on the reduction or cessation of exposure after the diagnosis of OA.
各国之间以及一国之内职业性哮喘（OA）的估计数可能有所不同。此前尚未有挪威职业性哮喘病例的概述。挪威医生有义务向劳动监察局报告职业病。这些通报的登记册被用于研究职业性哮喘病例。
收集了1995 - 1999年期间呼吸系统疾病通报的数据。向1239名被医生诊断为阻塞性呼吸系统疾病的工人发送了一份邮政调查问卷，询问其工作、呼吸道症状、吸烟情况以及该疾病的社会经济后果。
问卷的回复率为81%（1000名工人，其中723人患有职业性哮喘）。在研究期间（1995 - 1999年），平均每年报告223例职业性哮喘病例。通报率最高的行业是原铝行业以及面包师、汽车喷漆工和焊工。在通报时，超过一半的工人已离开原工作岗位。在本研究2至6年后，大约相同比例的工人收入减少并获得了经济补偿；60 - 78%的人仍在使用抗哮喘药物。
挪威医生对职业性哮喘的通报可能大大低估了实际发病率。尽管接受了治疗，但大多数通报病例似乎都发展成了慢性病。
应更加重视职业性哮喘的早期识别以及在诊断职业性哮喘后减少或停止接触。
