COMMUNITY BASED STUDY ON OCCUPATIONAL ASTHMA, ECRHS-OA

这项以社区为基础的大型多中心研究的总体目标是对与哮喘和其他不良呼吸系统健康影响高风险相关的职业、行业和工作场所的暴露进行研究，特别强调以女性为主的职业的特定暴露（刺激物、洗涤剂和其他哮喘原），以及其他尚未充分检查的高风险主要职业。 这项研究的主要假设是，呼吸道疾病与工作场所的接触密切相关，相当大比例的成人哮喘发作与这些接触有关，哮喘的职业危险因素的重要性被低估，特别是在妇女中。 职业性哮喘研究（ECRHS- OA）是更广泛的国际多中心呼吸健康调查（欧洲共同体呼吸健康调查- ECRHS）的一部分。 ECRHS的第一阶段于1991/92年进行，并在20-44岁的受试者中检查了哮喘和特应性的风险因素。 该研究目前正在更新（ECRHS-II），对来自12个国家（澳大利亚、比利时、法国、德国、冰岛、意大利、挪威、西班牙、瑞典、瑞士、英国和美国）的约17，000名年轻成人进行了随访。 参加第一次调查的受试者将于1999年再次接触，以确定哮喘、其他呼吸道症状、特应性、支气管反应性和肺功能变化的发病率和缓解率的危险因素。 将要求受试者进行强制肺量测定、乙酰甲胆碱激发并提供用于IgE检测的血液样本。 将由经过培训的访谈人员发放一份问卷，要求提供关于呼吸道症状和疾病、社会人口因素、吸烟、自上次调查以来的完整职业史、环境暴露、家族史、饮食、治疗和使用保健服务的情况。 模块职业问卷将开发的主题作为清洁工，家庭主妇，焊工，金属工人，护士，并在造纸和纺织工业中暴露于有机粉尘。 这项研究将提供关于特定职业、行业和接触对哮喘发病率和流行率的重要性的有效和精确的估计，以及关于其他呼吸道症状和疾病以及肺功能下降的类似估计。

The overall aim of this large multicentre community based study of young men and women is to examine the occupations, industries and exposures in the work-place which are associated with a high risk for asthma and other adverse respiratory health effects, with particular emphasis on specific exposures of predominantly female occupations (irritants, detergents and other asthmagens), and of other high risk major occupations which have not been adequately examined. The main hypotheses of the study are that respiratory diseases are strongly related with exposure in the workplace, that a considerable proportion of adult onset asthma is associated with these exposures and that the importance of occupational risk factors for asthma has been underestimated, particularly among women. The occupational asthma study (ECRHS- OA) forms part of a wider international multicentre survey on respiratory health (European Community Respiratory Health Survey- ECRHS). The first phase of the ECRHS was conducted in 1991/92 and examined risk factors for asthma and atopy in subjects aged 20-44 years. The study is currently updated (ECRHS-II) following-up approximately 17,000 young adults from 12 countries (Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and USA). Those subjects who took part in the first survey will be re-contacted in 1999, to determine risk factors for incidence and remission of asthma, other respiratory symptoms, atopy, changes in bronchial responsiveness and lung function. Subjects will be asked to perform a forced spirometry, methacholine challenge and to provide blood samples for IgE testing. A questionnaire administrated by trained interviewers will be delivered requesting information on respiratory symptoms and diseases, socio-demographic factors, tobacco smoking, complete occupational history since the last survey, environmental exposures, family history, diet, treatment and use of health services. Modular occupational questionnaires will be developed for subjects employed as cleaners, homemakers, welders, metal workers, nurses, and subjects exposed to organic dusts in the paper and textile industries. The study will provide valid and precise estimates on the importance of specific occupations, industries and exposures in relation to asthma incidence and prevalence, similar estimates for other respiratory symptoms and diseases and also for declines in pulmonary function.