Dyspnoea is associated with pulmonary function impairment in exposed workers

Area of Science:

• Occupational Medicine
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Dyspnoea (shortness of breath) is a common symptom in occupational settings.
• Understanding dyspnoea prevalence and predictors in diverse working populations is crucial for public health.
• Previous studies have not comprehensively compared dyspnoea across different industrial and geographical workforces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the prevalence of dyspnoea in male workers exposed to air contaminants in British Columbia (BC), Canada, and Tuscany (T), Italy.
• To identify predictors of dyspnoea, including pulmonary function, in these occupational cohorts.
• To compare dyspnoea prevalence between exposed workers and control groups.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional health studies involving interviews and pulmonary function tests (spirometry).
• Inclusion of 2498 BC and 1474 T exposed workers, plus 1110 BC and 243 T controls.
• Standardized questionnaires and definitions used across both regions; analysis adjusted for age, BMI, smoking, asthma, and chronic bronchitis.

Main Results:

• Overall moderate dyspnoea prevalence did not differ between exposed workers and controls.
• Slight dyspnoea was more frequent in BC workers compared to controls, but not in T workers.
• Reduced forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were significantly associated with slight and moderate dyspnoea in BC workers, and slight dyspnoea in T workers.

Conclusions:

• Isolated dyspnoea in working populations is associated with reduced lung function (FEV1 and FVC).
• The association between dyspnoea and lung function parameters is evident even after adjusting for confounding factors.
• Findings highlight the importance of monitoring lung function in workers exposed to air contaminants.