New asthma guidelines for doctors

HSE Press Release: E124:04 - 14 September 2004

Doctors and practice nurses were today called on to identify the possible cause of asthma when diagnosing patients, especially where the disease may be traced to the workplace. New guidelines ask doctors and practice nurses to help prevent occupational asthma by, for example, asking patients about the nature of their work and their workplace.

The guidelines published today by the British Occupational Health Research Foundation (BOHRF), supported by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), will help doctors and practice nurses recognise and report asthma cases where the disease may have been caused or exacerbated at work. Early identification of the cause is crucial when prescribing treatment and preventing long-term damage to the lungs.

For at least one in ten of all adults who suffer from asthma, work is the cause. There are between 1,500 and 3,000 new cases each year, costing society £1.16 billion over the next ten years. But these figures are an under-estimate; many asthma cases go unreported because doctors do not identify work as the possible cause. And many more cases, though not caused by work, are made worse by it.

Asthma is a debilitating disease which can strip people of their health and their livelihood. It is especially prevalent in the UK, where 4% of adults are asthma sufferers.

Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission said:

"Individuals, companies and professional bodies can all play their part in reducing cases of occupational asthma and consequent days lost. These new guidelines will help identify the disease at an earlier stage, enabling treatment to be given more quickly and reducing the number of cases."

Notes to editors

1. The guidelines are available at www.bohrf.org.uk

2. The top nine causes of occupational asthma and related jobs are:

• Isocyanates
  Spray painters, other metal or electrical processors, makers or repairers (mainly vehicle manufacture and mechanics), plastics workers.
• Flour
  Bakers and other food processors.
• Grain
  Farmers or farm workers.
• Glutaraldehyde
  Nurses, other non-metal or electrical processors (mainly darkroom technicians), other professional clerical and service occupations (mainly radiographers).
• Wood Dust
  Wood workers.
• Latex
  Nurses and auxiliaries, laboratory technicians.
• Solder/colophony
  Solderers or electronic assemblers, other metal or electrical processors, makers or repairers.
• Laboratory animals
  Laboratory technicians, scientists and assistants, other professional clerical and service occupations (mainly medical/pharmacological research).
• Resins and glues
  Metal and electrical processors, makers and repairers, construction and mining, other non-metal or electrical processors, makers or repairers, chemical processors.

3. Between 2000 and 2002 the new reported cases of asthma from most causes fell as a result of various preventative measures, promoted by HSE. See http://www.hse.gov.uk/asthma/asthmagraph.htm

4. Exposure to substances that can cause occupational asthma is controlled by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 and the Approved Code Of Practice.

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