Purpose of review: Occupational asthma is often associated with serious work and financial consequences. Correct management of occupational asthma must be based on a good knowledge of the natural history of the disease and of its prognostic factors.
Recent findings: Longitudinal studies have demonstrated that improvement of symptoms and airway hyperresponsiveness may be prolonged after cessation of exposure. Severity of asthma at diagnosis is the best predictor of clinical symptoms and functional impairment at follow-up. The molecular weight of the causal agent does not seem to be a prognostic factor. Airway inflammation is associated with persistence of symptoms and airway hyperresponsiveness after cessation of exposure. Reduction of exposure has proved to be effective in improvement of latex-induced asthma.
Summary: Further studies are needed to investigate the prognostic value of sputum eosinophils and neutrophils, and to determine whether some specific agents are associated with a better prognosis than others.