Small nonspecialized farming as a protective factor against immediate‐type occupational respiratory allergy?

Abstract

Cereal farming and hypersensitivity to cereals plays the significant role in the development of occupational asthma among Polish farmers. It also seems that working on small farms may protect farmers against work-related respiratory symptoms that are mostly because of allergy.

Occupational endotoxin‐exposure and possible health effects on humans (review)

“…Their analysis of 350 adults and their living rooms showed a negative association between exposure to house-dust endotoxin and severe allergic sensitization. This indicates that kind of exposure is important and that decrease in lung function following endotoxin exposure is mainly not due to allergic sensitization [Walusiak et al, 2004]. However, Alexis et al [2004] showed that healthy people inhaling endotoxin reveal increased IL-13 and decreased IFN-g levels in sputum.…”

Respiratory allergy in agricultural workers: recent developments

“…A case-control study using 100 prevalent farming cases with work-related asthma and rhinitis symptoms from family practices compared with 102 healthy controls was conducted in a rural area in Poland [22]. Controls had to be farmers as well, and did not suffer from any chronic disease.…”

Common characteristics of upper and lower airways in rhinitis and asthma: ARIA update, in collaboration with GA2LEN

“…The difference in the prevalence of asthma between the occupations was not statistically significant, but the painters with 1–10 years of painting experience had a threefold risk of asthma compared with the carpenters. Occupation was not associated with AR or conjunctivitis. In Poland (110), a case–control study was conducted to evaluate the risk factors of work‐related respiratory symptoms and occupational asthma and/or rhinitis in farmers. The study groups comprised 100 cases who were farmers reporting work‐related asthmatic and/or rhinitis symptoms and 102 healthy controls.…”