Abstract

Work-related asthma (WRA) is a general term used to indicate that this disease is aggravated, in some cases, by exposure to specific factors in the workplace. Increasing amounts of data show that WRA is a major public health issue, but that it remains difficult to diagnose.

The investigation was carried out in centres specialized in the field of occupational lung diseases, because issuing a diagnosis of occupational asthma induced by a sensitizing agent usually requires conducting a specific bronchial provocation test.

Dr. Diane Lougheed from Queen’s University developed the Work-related Asthma Screening Questionnaire (WRASQ(L)TM), which allows the identification of nearly 40% of additional suspected cases of WRA compared to mechanical methods used in clinical practice.

The aim of this project is to validate the capacity of this questionnaire for early detection of WRA in asthmatic subjects. This will allow for appropriate management of these workers so as to help keep them in the workplace. These measures will in turn serve to decrease the direct and indirect health costs related to WRA and to improve patients’ quality of life by acting in the earlier phases of the disease and improving its management.