Occupation may raise risk of chronic bronchitis

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Monday July 9 5:58 PM ET

Occupation may raise risk of chronic bronchitis

NEW YORK, Jul 09 (Reuters Health) - Young adults exposed to vapors, gas,

dust or fumes on the job may be at risk of developing chronic bronchitis.

And those who smoke further increase their risk, according to a report

published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Bronchitis--or inflammation and congestion of the linings of the airways of

the lungs--often results in weeks of persistent cough for those afflicted.

In the study, an international team of researchers evaluated the lung health

and job exposure to various lung irritants in more than 13,000 men and women

aged 20 to 44 living in 14 different countries.

Among study participants who did not have asthma, chronic bronchitis was

present in 1% to 3% of those who had never smoked or had quit smoking, while

5% to 9% of those who smoked had chronic bronchitis.

Agricultural workers had a significantly increased risk of chronic

bronchitis, whether or not they smoked, Dr Jan- Zock of the Insitut

Municipal d'Investigacio Medica in Barcelona, Spain and colleagues found.

People working in the textile, wood, food, and paper and chemical processing

industries also had an increased risk of bronchitis, especially if they

smoked, the findings indicate.

Zock and colleagues found that bronchitis did not affect the study

participants' lung function. ``This may have been due to the relatively

young age and therefore the limited duration of exposure among these

individuals,'' the authors note. The researchers are following up with the

study participants to determine if airflow problems develop as they age,

particularly in those with chronic bronchitis.

Chronic bronchitis affects an estimated 5% of the population or 14.2 million

people in the United States. Cigarette smoking is by far the most common

cause of chronic bronchitis, according to the American Lung Association.

SOURCE: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

2001;163:1572-1577.