Work‐related asthma consequences on socioeconomic, asthma control, quality of life, and psychological status compared with non‐work‐related asthma: A cross‐sectional study in an upper‐middle‐income country

Abstract

Background: Work-related asthma (WRA) is the most prevalent occupational respiratory disease, and it has negative effects on socioeconomic standing, asthma control, quality of life, and mental health status. Most of the studies on WRA consequences are from high-income countries; there is a lack of information on these effects in Latin America and in middle-income countries.Methods: This study compared socioeconomic, asthma control, quality of life, and psychological outcomes among individuals diagnosed with WRA and non-workrelated asthma (NWRA) in a middle-income country. Patients with asthma, related and not related to work, were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to assess their occupational history and socioeconomic conditions, and with questionnaires to assess asthma control (Asthma Control Test and Asthma Control Questionnaire-6), quality of life (Juniper's Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire), and presence of anxiety and depression symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). Each patient's medical record was reviewed for exams and use of medication, and comparisons were made between individuals with WRA and NWRA. Results:The study included 132 patients with WRA and 130 with NWRA. Individuals with WRA had worse socioeconomic outcomes, worse asthma control, more qualityof-life impairment, and a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression than individuals with NWRA. Among individuals with WRA, those who had been removed from occupational exposure had a worse socioeconomic impact.Conclusions: Consequences on socioeconomic, asthma control, quality of life, and psychological status are worse for WRA individuals when compared with NWRA.

Work-related asthma in adults with severe asthma from the Korean Severe Asthma Registry (KoSAR)

“…In asthmatic populations, a recent study reported that patients with WRA had worse socioeconomic status, asthma control, QoL, and psychological status than those without. 42 Another study demonstrated that patients with WRA had more AEs than those without. 41 Our study focused on patients with severe asthma and found that most clinical and inflammatory asthma profiles were similar between the WRA and non-WRA groups at baseline.…”

Recent developments in occupational asthma

“…Dodd et al [32 ▪ ] showed that adults with WRA were significantly more likely to have cardiovascular diseases (prevalence ratio: 1.5, 95% CI 1.2–1.8) than adults with nonwork-related asthma. Other studies showed that patients with WRA and OA had a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression, in addition to having a poorer quality of life [1 ▪▪ ,33 ▪ ,34] than patients with nonwork-related asthma. Romero-Mesones et al [35] observed that unemployed patients with WRA had more frequent obstructive sleep apnea than those still employed.…”

“…OA can also lead to significant negative socioeconomic impacts [1 ▪▪ ,36]. Roio et al [33 ▪ ] showed that patients with WRA had an overall reduced income after their diagnosis compared to patients with nonwork-related asthma. Suarthana et al [34] also showed income reduction for patients with WRA due to respiratory symptoms compared with patients with non WRA.…”

Green finance growth prediction model based on time-series conditional generative adversarial networks

“…Among the countries studied, Tunisia stood out as the sole representative of Africa. Classified as an upper-middle-income country, Tunisia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at an annual rate of 3.5% in the pre-revolution period, from 2008 to 2010 [ 19 ]. A research program outlined in [ 20 ] proposes a multilevel and multidisciplinary approach to financial system policy, aiming for environmental, social, and economic sustainability.…”