Long-term socioprofessional and psychological status in workers investigated for occupational asthma in quebec.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the long-term status of workers with occupational asthma (OA) with those of subjects with work-exacerbated asthma (WEA) and nonasthmatic (NA) workers.

METHODS

We contacted 179 subjects investigated for suspected OA at Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from 1997 to 2007. Participants completed questionnaires on psychological and functional status, followed by a telephone interview about socioprofessional outcomes and health care utilization.

RESULTS

The OA workers are more likely to have been removed from the workplace than the WEA workers. The health-related quality of life of all workers was still impaired. A high prevalence of psychiatric disorders was found among OA and WEA workers. Compared with WEA and OA workers, the NA group showed a higher rate of physician consultations for all causes.

CONCLUSIONS

Regardless of the diagnosis they received, these workers need to benefit from psychosocial support in the period after investigation for suspicion of OA.