Reference

BOHRF Original Authors' Main Conclusions

The original authors' main conclusions are taken from Abstract, Results and Discussion. They are decided upon by the authors of the BOHRF occupational asthma guidelines and form part of the guidelines.

Data was obtained from 652 workers in a western red-cedar sawmill on symptoms, pulmonary function, immediate skin reactivity to common allergens, non-specific bronchial responsiveness, total IgE level, and sensitisation to plicatic acid conjugated with human serum albumin as measured by RAST. 7% of workers had an elevated RAST, and 20% had non-specific bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR). Elevation in RAST was associated with BHR. 46% of workers with RAST elevation had BHR compared to 18% in workers with no RAST elevation. BHR was associated with increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms as well as with lower levels of pulmonary function. Authors conclude that plicatic acid-specific IgE and non-specific bronchial hyper-responsiveness are associated in western red-cedar workers and that this association may reflect a causal connection.

BOHRF Associated Evidence Statements

The BOHRF occupational asthma guidelines state that this reference is associated with the following evidence statements