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Introduction:
Are you often
getting sick at your job? Answer the following questions in yes
and no. If the answer of any one is yes then you may be
suffering from Occupational asthma:
-
Do you
experience coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath at work?
-
Do you have
itchy red eyes or running nose at work?
-
Does the problem
goes when you are away from work and comes back when you
return to work?
Occupational
Asthma
is the most common occupational lung disease in most part of the
world. It is responsible for 2 % to 15 % of the asthma
prevalence. The frequency varies widely between different
occupations and within industry at different level of exposure.
Occupational
asthma is a respiratory disease caused by the exposure to a
trigger at the work place (be it dust, gases, vapors, fumes or
chemicals). When inhaled these triggers irritate the airways and
may cause Coughing, sneezing, chest tightness, pain in chest,
difficulty in breathing. It may be associated with skin, eye and
other allergies.
Types of
Occupational asthma:
Generally two
types of
asthma attack occur:
Asthma
attack brought on immediately by exposure to extremely high
levels of irritant gases such as ammonia, sulfur dioxide,
chlorine. This is also known as Reactive Airways Dysfunction
Syndrome (RADS)
Body develops an
allergy from continuous exposure to a specific substance,
sometimes over the period of months and years. Symptoms of OA
occur when body develops allergic response to the substance
Due to exposure to
the
trigger
asthma attack is precipitated. The walls of the airways become
inflamed and swollen. Lot of mucous is secreted blocking the
airways. This makes it difficult for the air to be exhaled or
pushed out of the lungs.
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