Prevalence and Onset of Rhinitis and Conjunctivitis in Subjects with Occupational Asthma Caused by Trimellitic Anhydride (TMA)

Individuals with occupational asthma may also report symptoms of rhinitis or conjunctivitis. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of rhinitis and conjunctivitis in subjects with occupational asthma as a result of trimellitic anhydride (TMA). Additionally, we wanted to evalua...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of occupational and environmental medicine 2002-12, Vol.44 (12), p.1179-1181
Main Authors: Grammer, Leslie C., Ditto, Anne M., Tripathi, Anju, Harris, Kathleen E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Allergens - adverse effects
Allergic diseases
Asthma
Asthma - chemically induced
Biological and medical sciences
Chemicals
Conjunctivitis - chemically induced
Conjunctivitis - epidemiology
Demography
Female
Humans
Immunopathology
Male
Medical sciences
Occupational diseases
Occupational Diseases - chemically induced
Occupational hazards
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Phthalic Anhydrides - adverse effects
Population Surveillance
Prevalence
Respiratory and ent allergic diseases
Rhinitis - chemically induced
Rhinitis - epidemiology
Time Factors
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Individuals with occupational asthma may also report symptoms of rhinitis or conjunctivitis. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of rhinitis and conjunctivitis in subjects with occupational asthma as a result of trimellitic anhydride (TMA). Additionally, we wanted to evaluate the onset of rhinitis and conjunctivitis symptoms as compared with the occupational asthma symptoms. In a case series design, we studied 25 consecutive employees with TMA-induced asthma; each of them had participated in an annual surveillance program in which they were queried about rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and other respiratory symptoms. Twenty-two of the 25 (88%) reported rhinitis symptoms whereas 17 of the 25 (68%) reported conjunctivitis symptoms. In 17 of the 22 (77%) individuals with rhinitis and asthma, the rhinitis symptoms preceded the asthma symptoms. In 14 of the 17 (82%) individuals with conjunctivitis, those symptoms preceded the asthma symptoms. In summary, symptoms of rhinitis and conjunctivitis are common in subjects with occupational asthma because of TMA and often precede the respiratory symptoms.
ISSN:1076-2752
1536-5948
DOI:10.1097/00043764-200212000-00013