Porcine pancreatic extracts (PPE), which are widely used as a digestive drug in Korea, are composed of alpha-amylase and lipase. Such enzymes are commonly described as occupational allergens. This is the first report of occupational rhinitis caused by PPE developing into occupational asthma in a hospital nurse. She showed strong positive response in the skin prick test (SPT) (5+, wheal ratio of...

Background. Gum arabic is a potential sensitizer in food industry. Methods. We examined 11 candy factory workers referred to examinations due to respiratory and skin symptoms paying attention to exposure and sensitization to gum arabic. Skin tests, pulmonary function tests, and respiratory provocation tests were carried out as indicated by the symptoms and findings. Results. Occupational asthma...

BACKGROUND Currently, little data is available about the management of asthma in the working population. The aim of this study was to describe asthma control and severity among workers according to current or previous allergic rhinitis comorbidity. METHODS A network of occupational physicians participated in this pilot study on a voluntary basis. They included a random sample of salaried work...

Background Allergic and non-allergic rhinitis cause a lot of symptoms in everyday life. To decrease the burden more information of the preventable risk factors is needed. We assessed prevalence and risk factors for chronic nasal symptoms, exploring the effects of smoking, environmental tobacco smoke, exposure to occupational irritants, and their combinations. Methods In 2016, a postal survey ...

BACKGROUND Natural rubber latex (NRL) allergy in workers using rubber gloves has been an occupational health problem for the last 10 years. In the case of the occupational agents, clinical history may be far from conclusive; hence, appropriate provocation should be carried out. The objective was to evaluate the usefulness of the nasal challenge test in the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis in subj...

BACKGROUND Hairdressers are at risk for occupational respiratory diseases, but the risk factors, causal agents, and underlying mechanisms are not completely defined. AIM To describe the features of a large group of hairdressers consecutively referred to our center for suspected occupational asthma (OA) over an 8-year period, the type of occupational respiratory diseases, the etiologic agents,...

Rice is the major staple food in a large part of the world, especially in Asia. Hypersensitivity reactions to rice are rare. Moreover, cases of occupational allergies induced by inhalation of rice powder are uncommon. We report a 31-year-old male with work-related rhinitis and conjunctivitis symptoms caused by occupational exposure to rice powder in the grain industry. He showed positive respon...

Occupational allergic contact eczema and asthma caused by bleaching agents is seen in hairdressers. Bleaching agents contain persulfate salts, which are known to induce immediate reactions such as rhinitis, asthma, contact urticaria, and anaphylaxis. The immunologic mechanism is not, however, fully understood. The specific inhalation challenge test is considered to be the gold standard for diag...