[Epidemiologic cross-sectional study of the prevalence of chronic bronchitis and lung function disorders in swine...

In an epidemiological cross-sectional study the influence of occupation in swine production confinements on development of chronic bronchitis and lung function impairments was investigated. The study population comprised 307 swine confinement workers and 165 cattle workers without significant differences in age distribution and smoking habits. For evaluation of respiratory symptoms a standardized questionnaire was used. The following lung function tests were carried out: FVC, FEV1, RV, MEF25, MEF50, PEF and Raw. Regarding the prevalence of chronic bronchitis and lung function impairments no statistically significant differences were found between the two groups. Indeed swine confinement workers indicated a distinct trend to a higher prevalence of chronic bronchitis in correlation to the duration of employment. Workers in swine confinement buildings with more than 10 y exposure showed significantly worse mean values of the measured lung function parameters and significantly more frequent pathological lung function values than the control group of cattle workers.