Figure 1
Diagram of selection of the study population.
WRA: Work‑Related Asthma.
WEA: Work‑Exacerbated Asthma.
OA: Occupational Asthma.
Table 1
Characteristics of patients diagnosed with occupational asthma.
Abbreviations: BPT, bronchial provocation test; PEF, peak expiratory flow; RADS, reactive airway dysfunction syndrome.
[i] a In all cases, the diagnosis of asthma was confirmed first.
Table 2
Distribution of patients diagnosed with occupational asthma by sectors.
| NUMBERS (N) (N = 104) | PERCENTAGE (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Service sector | 34 | 32.7 |
| Health services | 11 | 10.6 |
| Cleaning services | 10 | 9.6 |
| Restaurant–bakery workers | 4 | 3.8 |
| Dental technicians | 3 | 2.9 |
| Laboratory workers | 3 | 2.9 |
| Others | 3 | 2.9 |
| Industry sector | 70 | 67.3 |
| Metal casting–cutting works | 13 | 12.5 |
| Textile manufacturing | 8 | 7.7 |
| Welding | 7 | 6.7 |
| Furniture manufacturing | 7 | 6.7 |
| Plastic and packaging manufacturing | 7 | 6.7 |
| Automotive manufacture and repair | 5 | 4.8 |
| Ceramic manufacturing | 5 | 4.8 |
| Chemical manufacturing | 4 | 3.8 |
| Food manufacturing | 4 | 3.8 |
| Wind energy panel manufacturing | 4 | 3.8 |
| Leather manufacturing | 3 | 2.9 |
| Artificial stone manufacturing | 3 | 2.9 |
| Agriculture sector | 0 | 0 |
Figure 2
Distribution of occupational asthma cases by exposure agents.
Table 3
Comparison of patient characteristics based on the molecular weight of asthma‑inducing agents.
[i] Note:
[ii] a Fisher’s exact test was used because the cell count exceeded 20% with an expected value of less than 5.
[iii] b In the chi‑square test, only rows with symptomatic individuals are shown, omitting asymptomatic data for simplicity.
[iv] c RADS cases (n = 4) were excluded from this analysis.
[v] d Only 35 of the cases underwent a skin prick test.