D2.150 - Clinical and functional outcomes after the diagnosis of baker’s asthma: ended vs. reduced exposure

Outcomes of sensitizer-induced occupational asthma (OA) and effectiveness of workplace interventions in regard to occupational exposure after diagnosis are still a matter of discussion.

Objective of the study was to compare effects of removal and reduction of causative exposure on respiratory symptoms and spirometric parameters in workers with baker’s asthma (BA).    

Clinical and functional outcomes were evaluated in 23 workers with BA 2 to 8 years after the diagnosis of the disease was established. After the diagnosis 14 workers were removed to another workplace and 9 were relocated at the same workplace with reduced exposure to causative agent. All examined workers completed a questionnaire on asthma symptoms in the last 12 months and underwent spirometric measurements.

Frequency of respiratory symptoms in workers with reduced exposure was significantly higher than their frequency in workers with ended exposure (55.5% vs. 28.7%; P = 0.047). In addition, mean value of forced vital capacity (FVC) was non-significantly higher in workers with ended exposure (90.8 ± 4.7% vs. 87.3 ± 4.1%; P = 0.082) while mean values of forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and FEV1/FVC ratio were significantly higher in workers removed to another workplace (83.1 ± 2.7% vs. 74.2 ± 3.4%; P = 0.000, and 0.91 ± 0.03 vs. 0.84 ± 0.04; P = 0.0001).  

Our findings indicated that workers with BA who ended causative exposure had better clinical and functional outcomes compared to workers with reduced occupational exposure.