15/11/2010

VHIR researchers recently presented two studies related to the Occupational Respiratory Pathology coinciding with the celebration in Barcelona of 14th course organized by the Service of Pneumology at the Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron. The first refers to occupational asthma, a disease that develop people at work are exposed to different substances can be harmful as isocyanate (chemical containing paints), persulfates (containing chemical products for hair bleach) or flour. According to various studies, the percentage of patients with occupational asthma is between 5% and 15% of people with asthma. Considering that asthma prevalence is between 6% and 10% of the population, we can consider that the number of people with asthma is high.A study of the HUVH Pneumology Service, in which has involved Dr. Xavier Muñoz from VHIR’s Pneumology research group, reveals that 5% of hairdressers in Barcelona could develop occupational asthma caused by exposure to products they use. According to the study, conducted among 1,350 hairdressers in the Catalan capital, 70% of patients diagnosed in this group of workers leave he job after the diagnosis. Of these, 40% worse lung function and the rest either improved or maintained. Those who continue to work worse, mostly, their lung function.The second study highlighted in the course of occupational respiratory disease describes how low but recurrent exposure to certain agents, such as bird feathers found in the quilts could be the cause of many cases of pulmonary fibrosis that thus far are considered unknown . The research, coordinated by Dr. Ferran Morell, chief of Pneumology research group at VHIR, with the participation of Dr. Ana Villar, of the same group, results from the data of 360 patients with interstitial lung disease, including 60 had a diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and in 19 of them found evidence that the disease process was associated with low but repeated exposure to this agent.