Occupational asthma: measures of frequency from four countries

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Disease registers offer epidemiological insights beyond their primary functions of hazard detection and research enablement.
• Occupational asthma, while a small percentage (2-6%) of adult asthma cases in the UK, affects thousands due to widespread asthma prevalence.
• The global incidence of occupational asthma, particularly in developing nations, remains largely unknown but potentially significant.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the utility of disease registers and surveillance schemes for epidemiological insights into occupational asthma.
• To estimate the incidence of occupational asthma in the UK and compare it with available data from other regions.
• To identify limitations in current data collection methods for occupational asthma, including underreporting and underdiagnosis.

Main Methods:

• Review of data from disease registers and surveillance schemes.
• Analysis of existing epidemiological studies and incidence data, particularly from Finland and the UK.
• Assessment of ascertainment and reporting variations in disease frequency data.

Main Results:

• Disease registers, though not designed for incidence/prevalence, provide valuable epidemiological data.
• Occupational asthma constitutes 2-6% of adult asthma in the UK, impacting thousands annually.
• Estimated annual incidence in the UK is approximately 50 per million working people, with higher rates (140 per million) in Finland, though underestimation is likely in both.

Conclusions:

• Surveillance data can yield crucial epidemiological insights into occupational asthma.
• Significant underestimation of occupational asthma incidence exists due to individuals not seeking medical care or referral.
• Further research is needed to accurately quantify the true burden of occupational asthma and improve reporting mechanisms.