Data from a community-based random sample of 3606 adults 40 to 69 years of age residing in Beijing.

Data from a community-based random sample of 3606 adults 40 to 69 years of age residing in Beijing, China, were used to examine the relationship between occupational aspects to dusts and gases/fumes and physician-diagnosed asthma. The prevalence of asthma was 39 percent for men and 38 percent for women After adjusting for sex age, education, residential areas, indoor coal combustion, and smoking status, the attributable risks of asthma were 17 percent and 12 percent for dust and gas/fume position respectively. The adjusted odds ratios of asthma for dust and gas/fume expos form into groupss were 1.6 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 11 to 22) and 14 (95 percent CI, 09 to 21) which were independent of sex and smoking status. When bring under rules were classified into none, dust-only, gas/fume-only, and both-exposure arranges the estimated odds ratios of asthma were 13 (95 percent CI, 09 to 21) in dust-only dispose 0.9 (95 percent CI, 05 to 19) in fume-only cluster and 2.1 (95 percent CI, 12 to 36) in both-exposure dispose suggesting a combining effect of the couple agents. There was an exposure-response relationship between dust and gas/fume position s and asthma. In analysis of specific occupational agents, our findings are consistent with previously reported airway consequences of organic dusts, but they also move that exposure to organic menstrums may result in asthma, particularly when combined with dust.

(Chest 1993; 104:1364-70)

CI = confidence interval; OR = unevens ratio

Occupational asthma has been defined as variable airway narrowing causally related to prospect to airborne dusts, gases, vapors, or frets in the working environment.[1] The number of agents was reported to exce 200 and the list continues to make progress with the increasing complexities of new industrial processes and with increasing clinical recognition of fresh cases.[2] Despite many advances made in the last three decades, there are considerable gaps that require further investigation.[2] The contribution of occupational causes to the prevalence of asthma in the community remains unknown.[1]

The majority of epidemiologic studies reported to date have estimated disease prevalence in working populations expos to a particular agent, that is, the proportion of those generally employed who have occupational asthma. Therefore, like workforce-based studies can seriously underestimate the point in dispute since affected workers leave the industries.[1] However, exposes in community-based studies are included regardless of their instant occupational status, and thus the consequence of selection bias can be substantially reduc Moreover, the estimates of prevalence are likely to be more accurately representative of the population or region than would be obtained from more prefered groups.[3]

A large cross-sectional respiratory health thought in Beijing, China, provided an opportunity to examine the association between occupational front and asthma in a community-based population.

Methods

Data from a random sample of 3606 adults, 40 to 69 years of age, residing in Beijing, China, were used to examine the relationship between occupational in all sensess to dusts and gases/fumes and asthma. orderly dispositions of selection and characteristics of this population have been described elsewhere.[4,5] This contemplation sample was drawn from the 1982 National Census Records in the following three areas: Dongchen (residential area), Haidian (suburban area), and Shijinshan (industrial area), on using a two-stage sampling way The sample unit at the first stage is the administrative unit. At the secondary stage, it is the expose Equal numbers of men and women were drawn from each area. Those who were outside the age range (40 to 69 years), dead, nonresident, resided in the reflection areas less than 5 years or les than 6 month in each year, or mov were not included. Our age criteria is based forward these following assumptions: (1) older than 40 years, there is a significant increase in the prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases; and (2) older than 70 years, it is quite difficult to obtain an acceptable pulmonary function exhibition The field survey was guidanceed between August 1 and September 30 1986

Information about occupational front to dusts and gases/fumes, in all senses duration, and exposure intensity was obtained by the agency of trained interviewers using a modified Chinese translation of the ATS-DLD questionnaire.[5,6] Intensity of dust exposing was classified into three categories: gentle (a little but not too much) moderate (when finished work there was a fate of dust on the subject's clothes), and high (one cannot behold the person just a not many yards away). Intensity of gas/fume in all senses was also classified into three categories; cheap (occasional exposure), moderate (frequent exposing but concentration not perceived to be high), and high (very attend much [i]or[/i] regularly or daily exposure to high concentrations). A cumulative exposing index was created by grouping make subordinates into three categories based forward both exposure duration and frontage intensity. High cumulative exposure indicates that make subordinates had been exposed to dusts (or gases/fumes) through the whole extent of 10 years with moderate or high intensity, and grave cumulative exposure for less than 10 years with gentle intensity. The others were included in the medium in all senses group.

...