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Increased airways responsiveness in swine farmers
C Zhou1, T S Hurst, D W Cockcroft
1Centre for Agriculture Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Chest
|April 1, 1991
Summary
Swine farmers exposed to confinement buildings show increased airway hyperresponsiveness and respiratory symptoms like cough and wheezing. This suggests occupational exposure contributes to non-specific, non-atopic airway reactivity in this population.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Swine farming involves prolonged exposure to animal dander and dust in confined environments.
- Previous studies suggest potential respiratory health risks for agricultural workers.
- Understanding the specific impact of swine confinement on respiratory health is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between occupational exposure in swine confinement buildings and respiratory health in swine farmers.
- To compare respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function, and airway responsiveness between swine farmers and a matched control group.
Main Methods:
- Respiratory questionnaires, pulmonary function tests (including FEV1), and methacholine challenge tests were administered to 20 swine farmers and 20 control subjects.
- Control subjects were outdoor city workers matched for gender, age, and smoking status.
- Airway responsiveness was assessed by measuring provocation concentrations (PC10 and PC20) for FEV1 reduction.
Main Results:
- Swine farmers reported higher rates of chronic cough (55% vs 15%) and wheezing (40% vs 15%) compared to controls.
- Lower forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and significantly increased airway responsiveness (lower PC10 and PC20 values) were observed in swine farmers.
- Despite increased airway responsiveness, swine farmers showed less atopy (21% vs 56%) than controls.
Conclusions:
- Occupational exposure in swine confinement settings is linked to increased nonspecific, nonatopic airway responsiveness in swine farmers.
- These findings highlight potential respiratory health risks associated with swine farming environments.
- Further research is warranted to explore the mechanisms and long-term implications of these respiratory changes.