| 1. |
- Bousquet, J, et al.
(författare)
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GA2LEN (Global Allergy and Asthma European Network) addresses the allergy and asthma 'epidemic'.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Allergy. - : Wiley. - 1398-9995 .- 0105-4538. ; 64:7, s. 969-77
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Allergic diseases represent a major health problem in Europe. They are increasing in prevalence, severity and costs. The Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA(2)LEN), a Sixth EU Framework Program for Research and Technological Development (FP6) Network of Excellence, was created in 2005 as a vehicle to ensure excellence in research bringing together research and clinical institutions to combat fragmentation in the European research area and to tackle allergy in its globality. The Global Allergy and Asthma European Network has benefited greatly from the voluntary efforts of researchers who are strongly committed to this model of pan-European collaboration. The network was organized in order to increase networking for scientific projects in allergy and asthma around Europe and to make GA(2)LEN the world leader in the field. Besides these activities, research has also been carried out and the first papers are being published. Achievements of the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network can be grouped as follows: (i) those for a durable infrastructure built up during the project phase, (ii) those which are project-related and based on these novel infrastructures, and (iii) the development and implementation of guidelines. The major achievements of GA(2)LEN are reported in this paper.
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| 2. |
- Henneberger, P K, et al.
(författare)
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The occupational contribution to severe exacerbation of asthma.
- 2010
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Ingår i: The European respiratory journal : official journal of the European Society for Clinical Respiratory Physiology. - : European Respiratory Society (ERS). - 1399-3003 .- 0903-1936. ; 36:4, s. 743-50
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The goal of this study was to identify occupational risk factors for severe exacerbation of asthma and estimate the extent to which occupation contributes to these events. The 966 participants were working adults with current asthma who participated in the follow-up phase of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey. Severe exacerbation of asthma was defined as self-reported unplanned care for asthma in the past 12 months. Occupations held in the same period were combined with a general population job-exposure matrix to assess occupational exposures. 74 participants reported having had at least one severe exacerbation event, for a 1-yr cumulative incidence of 7.7%. From regression models that controlled for confounders, the relative risk (RR) was statistically significant for low (RR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.6) and high (RR 3.6, 95% CI 2.2-5.8) biological dust exposure, high mineral dust exposure (RR 1.8, 95% CI 1.02-3.2), and high gas and fumes exposure (RR 2.5, 95% CI 1.2-5.5). The summary category of high dust, gas, or fumes exposure had RR 3.1 (95% CI 1.9-5.1). Based on this RR, the population attributable risk was 14.7% among workers with current asthma. These results suggest occupation contributes to approximately one in seven cases of severe exacerbation of asthma in a working population, and various agents play a role.
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| 3. |
- Olivieri, M., et al.
(författare)
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Healthy hire effect, job selection and inhalation exposure among young adults with asthma
- 2010
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Ingår i: European Respiratory Journal. - : European Respiratory Society (ERS). - 0903-1936 .- 1399-3003. ; 36:3, s. 517-523
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of the present study was to assess whether asthma onset prior to entering the workforce influences whether a person holds a subsequent job with asthma-related inhalation exposures. The data of 19,784 adults from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey were analysed. For each respondent, a current or previously held job was linked to a job exposure matrix assigning high, low or no exposure to dust, gases or fumes. Jobs were also categorised according to the risk of exposures related to occupational asthma. Associations between asthma and subsequent occupational exposures were assessed using logistic regression models, with a random intercept for study centre and fixed adjustment for age, sex, type of study sample and smoking status. Of the respondents, 8% (n=1,619) reported asthma with onset before completion of full-time education. This population was at decreased risk of having a job with high (odds ratio 0.79; 95% confidence interval 0.68-0.92) or low (0.91; 0.80-1.03) exposure to dust, gases or fumes. The associations were consistent across exposure types (dusts, gases or fumes) and for jobs with a high risk of occupational asthma. Adults with asthma onset prior to entering the workforce may be less likely to hold jobs involving inhalation exposures.
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| 4. |
- Sunyer, Jordi, et al.
(författare)
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Lung function decline, chronic bronchitis, and occupational exposures in young adults
- 2005
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Ingår i: Am J Respir Crit Care Med. ; 172:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rationale: Occupational exposures to vapors, gas, dust, or fumes have been shown to be a risk factor of airway obstruction in cross-sectional studies in the general population.Objectives: Our aim was to study the relationships between specific occupations and occupational exposures during a 9-yr follow-up period and changes in lung function and symptoms of chronic bronchitis.Methods: Subjects from the general population aged 20 to 45 yr were randomly selected in 1991-1993 within the European Community Respiratory Health Survey. Follow-up took place from 1998 to 2002 among 4,079 males and 4,461 females in 27 study centers. A total of 3,202 men and 3,279 women twice completed lung function measurements. Job history during follow-up was linked to a job exposure matrix and consequently translated into cumulative exposure estimates.Main Results: Individuals exposed to dusts, gases, and fumes during the period of follow-up did not have a steeper decline of FEV(1) than did individuals with consistently white-collar occupations without occupational exposures (relative change among men and women, + 1.4 and -3.1 ml/yr, respectively; p > 0.2), nor an increase of prevalence or incidence of airway obstruction defined as an FEV(1)/FVC ratio of less than 0.7. The incidence of chronic phlegm increased in men exposed to mineral dust (relative risk, 1.94 [1.29-2.91]) and gases and fumes (relative risk, 1.53 [0.99-2.36]), which was not modified by smoking.Conclusion: Occupational exposures to dusts, gases, and fumes occurring during the 1990s are associated with incidence of chronic bronchitis, although these did not impair lung function in a population of relatively young age.
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| 5. |
- Torén, Kjell, 1952, et al.
(författare)
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An international prospective general population-based study of respiratory work disability.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Thorax. - : BMJ. - 1468-3296 .- 0040-6376. ; 64:4, s. 339-44
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Previous cross-sectional studies have shown that job change due to breathing problems at the workplace (respiratory work disability) is common among adults of working age. That research indicated that occupational exposure to gases, dust and fumes was associated with job change due to breathing problems, although causal inferences have been tempered by the cross-sectional nature of previously available data. There is a need for general population-based prospective studies to assess the incidence of respiratory work disability and to delineate better the roles of potential predictors of respiratory work disability. METHODS: A prospective general population cohort study was performed in 25 centres in 11 European countries and one centre in the USA. A longitudinal analysis was undertaken of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey including all participants employed at any point since the baseline survey, 6659 subjects randomly sampled and 779 subjects comprising all subjects reporting physician-diagnosed asthma. The main outcome measure was new-onset respiratory work disability, defined as a reported job change during follow-up attributed to breathing problems. Exposure to dusts (biological or mineral), gases or fumes during follow-up was recorded using a job-exposure matrix. Cox proportional hazard regression modelling was used to analyse such exposure as a predictor of time until job change due to breathing problems. RESULTS: The incidence rate of respiratory work disability was 1.2/1000 person-years of observation in the random sample (95% CI 1.0 to 1.5) and 5.7/1000 person-years in the asthma cohort (95% CI 4.1 to 7.8). In the random population sample, as well as in the asthma cohort, high occupational exposure to biological dust, mineral dust or gases or fumes predicted increased risk of respiratory work disability. In the random sample, sex was not associated with increased risk of work disability while, in the asthma cohort, female sex was associated with an increased disability risk (hazard ratio 2.8, 95% CI 1.3 to 5.9). CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory work disability is common overall. It is associated with workplace exposures that could be controlled through preventive measures.
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