Frequencies of occupational allergic diseases and gender differences in Finland

In Finland occupational diseases are registered by diagnosis, causative agent, age, occupation, field of work, and gender. This report analyzes in detail the 1991 statistics on gender differences in occupational allergic diseases. A total of 1314 cases of occupational allergic diseases were reported, comprising 14.2% of all registered occupational diseases. The following allergic occupational diseases were encountered: allergic contact dermatitis (412 cases), bronchial asthma (352), allergic rhinitis (319), contact urticaria/protein contact dermatitis (146), and allergic alveolitis (85). The number of cases of allergic alveolitis (men, 42 cases; women, 43 cases) and bronchial asthma (176 men/176 women) was about equal in both genders. Women were overrepresented in allergic rhinitis (195 women/124 men), allergic contact dermatitis (247 women/165 men), and contact urticaria/protein contact dermatitis (109 women/37 men). According to current knowledge, there are no great gender differences in the development of asthma or allergic rhinitis. The greater number of women with occupational respiratory allergy and immediate skin allergy may indicate that women in Finland are more exposed to type I allergens than men. The greater number of cases of allergic contact dermatitis in women may reveal women's predisposition to delayed-type allergy, or women's greater occupational exposure to contact allergens.