What e the symptoms and signs of occupational asthma?
Occupational asthma occurring in response to regular exposure to a sensitising agent in the workplace usually exhibits certain characteristic features. There is always a latent period of several weeks to many years, during which the worker is free of symptoms. Recurrent “runny nose” during working hours is common at the beginning. This is followed after a variable period by the development of coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath which increases in frequency and severity until a pattern of repeated sickness absence is established. Coughing is often the most prominent symptom, and may completely overshadow difficulty in breathing or chest tightness. Wheezing and breathlessness are surprisingly uncommon symptoms. Symptoms may develop during work hours but often do not start until a few hours after work. In some people, symptoms begin as much as 24 hours after exposure. Also, symptoms may come and go for a week or more after exposure. Thus, the link between the workp
