Respiratory allergies among veterinarians: two cross-sectional surveys from 2006 to 2012.
Int Arch Occup Environ Health
; 90(7): 639-643, 2017 10.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28478545
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Animal-related allergy is known to be an occupational hazard among veterinarians; however, there is a lack of data showing to which extent these are affected. We aimed at describing the prevalence of respiratory allergies in this population.METHODS:
In two repeated cross-sectional surveys in 2006 and 2012 in Bavaria, we examined the prevalence of wheezing, asthma and allergic rhinitis by questionnaires. We additionally performed multiple regression analysis to identify associated factors.RESULTS:
Overall participation rate was above 60%, leading to sample sizes of 512 in 2006 and 596 in 2012, respectively. Prevalences of allergic symptoms ranged from 5.1 to 5.6% for asthma, 17.0 to 20.2% for rhinitis, and 11.4 to 14.3% for wheezing, as well as 7.2 to 11.3% for wheezing without having a cold. The percentage of women in this occupation grew between the first and second survey. There were gender differences in both surveys concerning age and practice type (p < 0.0001). Women had a lower mean age (42.1 vs. 53.0 years in 2012) and worked much more often exclusively with small animals (50.2 vs. 15.9% in 2012). There was a borderline significantly higher prevalence for allergic rhinitis in women than in men in 2012 (20.1 vs. 13.7, p = 0.052). Having allergic rhinitis was clearly associated with wheezing, wheezing without cold and asthma.CONCLUSIONS:
In a repeated cross-sectional survey at an interval of 6 years among veterinarians, we found a relatively stable overall prevalence of wheeze, wheeze without having a cold, asthma and allergic rhinitis.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Asma
/
Sons Respiratórios
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Médicos Veterinários
/
Rinite Alérgica
/
Doenças Profissionais
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
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Male
/
Middle aged
País como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2017
Tipo de documento:
Article