Long-Term Socioprofessional and Psychological Status in Workers Investigated for Occupational Asthma in Quebec

Abstract

Objective: To compare the long-term status of workers with occupational asthma (OA) with those of subjects with work-exacerbated asthma (WEA) and nonasthmatic (NA) workers. Methods: We contacted 179 subjects investigated for suspected OA at Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from 1997 to 2007. Participants completed questionnaires on psychological and functional status, followed by a telephone interview about socioprofessional outcomes and health care utilization. Results: The OA workers are more likely to have been removed from the workplace than the WEA workers. The health-related quality of life of all workers was still impaired. A high prevalence of psychiatric disorders was found among OA and WEA workers. Compared with WEA and OA workers, the NA group showed a higher rate of physician consultations for all causes. Conclusions: Regardless of the diagnosis they received, these workers need to benefit from psychosocial support in the period after investigation for suspicion of OA.