Question 4. How should patients with occupational asthma be managed?

From Chapter 8 of the Philippine Consensus Report on Asthma 2004 by the Philippine College of Chest Physicians.
This guideline starts below.

How should patients with occupational asthma be managed?

Answer

The ideal treatment is the permanent removal of patients with occupational asthma from exposure to the causal agent.

During the period of diagnostic investigations and following diagnosis, the patient should have appropriate treatment for asthma, consistent with recent asthma guidelines.

Unfortunately, studies indicate that the majority of patients with occupational asthma are left with some degree of permanent lung function impairment. Over 60% of subjects fail to recover even after removal from exposure. The best prognosis is seen among those with early diagnosis, early removal from further exposure to the sensitizer, and in those with milder asthma at the time of diagnosis.

The patient with occupational asthma should be considered to represent a sentinel event in the workplace. Consideration should be given to the possibility of occupational asthma in other exposure workers, and appropriate measures should be taken to reduce the risk of further exposure to the offending agent.