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Clinical Findings among Patients with Respiratory Symptoms Related to Moisture Damage Exposure at the Workplace-The
Pia Nynäs1, Sarkku Vilpas2, Elina Kankare2
1Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33520 Tampere, Finland.
Background:
Respiratory tract symptoms are associated with workplace moisture damage (MD). The focus of this observational clinical study was patients with workplace MD-associated symptoms, to evaluate the usefulness of different clinical tests in diagnostics in secondary healthcare with a special interest in improving the differential diagnostics between asthma and laryngeal dysfunction.
Methods:
In patients referred because of workplace MD-associated respiratory tract symptoms, we sought to systematically assess a wide variety of clinical findings.
Results:
New-onset asthma was diagnosed in 30% of the study patients. Laryngeal dysfunction was found in 28% and organic laryngeal changes in 22% of the patients, and these were common among patients both with and without asthma. Most of the patients (85%) reported a runny or stuffy nose, and 11% of them had chronic rhinosinusitis. Atopy was equally as common as in the general population.
Conclusions:
As laryngeal changes were rather common, we recommend proper differential diagnostics with lung function testing and investigations of the larynx and its functioning, when necessary, in cases of prolonged workplace MD-associated symptoms. Chronic rhinosinusitis among these patients was not uncommon. Based on this study, allergy testing should not play a major role in the examination of these patients.
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