Objective: To review aspects of occupational allergies and asthma for primary care physicians recognizing, diagnosing, and managing patients with these conditions.
Quality of evidence: Studies in the medical literature mainly provide level 2 evidence, that is, from at least one well-designed clinical trial without randomization, from cohort or case-control analytical studies, from multiple time series, or from dramatic results in uncontrolled experiments.
Main message: Occupational allergies and asthma have the best prognosis with an early, accurate diagnosis and subsequent avoidance of exposure to the relevant sensitizer. These diagnoses can normally be suspected from the clinical history. Primary care physicians can also initiate investigations to make an objective diagnosis, can assess workplace exposure agents from the history, and can review appropriate data sheets on material safety. Specialist evaluation is likely to be needed for skin tests, however, and for other specialized tests (such as pulmonary function assessments at work and off work or specific challenges with the suspected workplace agent). Patients with a confirmed diagnosis need appropriate medical management of their allergic manifestations or asthma, but also often require psychosocial support during the period of investigation and management, especially in relation to required changes in their work and to compensation or insurance claims.
Conclusions: Consider workplace exposure as a source of patients' allergies or asthma and aim to make an early, accurate diagnosis.