Health Professionals

"Health practitioners should enquire of any adult patient with new, recurrent or deteriorating symptoms of rhinitis or asthma about their job, the materials with which they work and whether their symptoms improve regularly when away from work." - BOHRF occupational asthma guidelines.

This section of the website caters for health professionals with little or no knowledge of occupational asthma. It is suitable for nurses, doctors, GP's (in the UK), technicians and health and safety personnel.

The principal reccomendations from the BOHRF occupational asthma guidelines contain the current UK based advice. If you are not trying to become an expert then they may be all that you need to know.

The agents section contains information on the occupational asthma causative agents / sensitisers. Related jobs, references and links are provided.

The jobs section contains information on the dangers of occupational asthma in selected jobs. Causative agents / sensitiers, references and links are provided.

Interactive occupational asthma case histories. This section is for doctors, nurses and other health professionals who manage workers who might have occupational asthma. You will be asked to select investigations, suggest diagnoses and offer a management plan for different workers.

Overview of occupational asthma. This article was published in "Practical Issues of asthma management", issue 24 and is a good introduction to the subject.

Francais Overview of occupational asthma

Francais (Asthme Professionnel)

Deutsch (Berufsasthma)

Discussions for Health Professionals

You can comment on the latest question from a health professional:

Is it possible for a worker dispensing semolina powder in pasta manufacturing to have his pre existing asthma become worse? He works 11.5 hour shifts, 4 on and 4 off. He dispenses from open sacks up to 34 times a shift. I cannot find any research on this. He has worked with the substance for 5 years but it has become steadily worse in the last 3. He finds that the 2nd or 3rd day at work his asthma becomes quite severe and he often hasn't made the 4th day and has coped by taking holidays or short term sickness absence - he is currently on prednisilone and is now on sick leave. Thank you

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Resources for Health Professionals

Detailed Respiratory survey

Occupational Asthma Clinic Visit Proforma

Pages for Health Professionals

Standards of care for occupational asthma

Links for Health Professionals

	Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
In the UK the Health and Safety Executive is the branch of government responsible for the prevention of occupational asthma. The website has information about the commoner causes of occupational asthma such as Isocyanates, Flour, Grain and Wood dust, Gluteraldehyde, Latex, Solder / Colophony, Laboratory animals and some glues and resins.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/asthma/

	NIOSH surveillance guidelines for occupational asthma
Surveillance guidelines for US state health departments. Includes reporting reccomendations and decision making flow chart.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/surveillance/ords/pdfs/SurveillanceGuidelines%28WRA%29.pdf

	Lungs At Work, London, UK
Runs clinical and immunological services for occupational and environmental diseases. Runs training courses on occupational asthma for occupational physicians and health and saftey personnel.
http://www.lungsatwork.org.uk/

	NetWoRM (Net-based-training for work-related medicine)
Web-based patient cases for training of medical students, physicians in training for occupational medicine and for continuing medical education.
http://www.networm-online.net/

	E learning for generalists about occupational asthma
A series of cases introducing the basics of the occupational asthma guidelines to generalists and GPs. You have to register on the BMJ learning site first (free)
http://www.learning.bmj.com/learning/search-result.html?moduleId=6051298

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