help button home button
AJRCCM
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by GORDON, S. B.
Right arrow Articles by MORICE, A. H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by GORDON, S. B.
Right arrow Articles by MORICE, A. H.

Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 156, Number 1, July 1997, 206-210

Glass Bottle Workers Exposed to Low-Dose Irritant Fumes Cough but Do Not Wheeze

STEPHEN B. GORDON, ANDREW D. CURRAN, ANDREW TURLEY, CHI-HUNG WONG, SHAKIL N. RAHMAN, KEITH WILEY, and ALYN H. MORICE

Department of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Sheffield, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, and Health and Safety Laboratory, an Agency of the Health and Safety Executive, Sheffield, United Kingdom

Workers exposed to irritant fumes experience symptoms both during the acute episode and afterwards. High-dose irritant exposure can result in permanent asthma, but the effects of chronic low-dose irritant exposure are not known. Glass bottle workers are exposed to irritant fumes, and have previously been reported to have an excess of symptoms. We designed a study to compare irritant-exposed glass bottle workers with hospital workers matched for socioeconomic group, area of residence, age, sex, smoking habit, and allergic history. Symptoms reported, spirometry, flow cytometric indices of lymphocyte activation, and past medical and employment histories were compared. We also investigated the prevalence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness to inhaled methacholine and the cough response after inhalation of citric acid and capsaicin. Glass bottle workers showed an excess of upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, and shortness of breath compared with matched hospital control workers. There was a significant excess of cough induced by citric acid and capsaicin in the bottle workers. However, wheeze, baseline spirometry, flow cytometry, and methacholine challenge were not significantly different between the two groups. These findings suggest that chronic irritant exposure produces an excess of symptoms and increased cough sensitivity but not asthma.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Chronic Respiratory DiseaseHome page
C. Barber and D Fishwick
Chronic cough - occupational considerations
Chronic Respiratory Disease, November 1, 2008; 5(4): 211 - 221.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 ChestHome page
S. M. Tarlo
Cough: Occupational and Environmental Considerations: ACCP Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines
Chest, January 1, 2006; 129(1_suppl): 186S - 196S.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ChestHome page
P. V. Dicpinigaitis and R. V. Alva
Safety of Capsaicin Cough Challenge Testing
Chest, July 1, 2005; 128(1): 196 - 202.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Eur Respir JHome page
O. Vandenplas, K. Toren, and P.D. Blanc
Health and socioeconomic impact of work-related asthma
Eur. Respir. J., October 1, 2003; 22(4): 689 - 697.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ThoraxHome page
A H Morice and J A Kastelik
Cough * 1: Chronic cough in adults
Thorax, October 1, 2003; 58(10): 901 - 907.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ThoraxHome page
C H Wong and A H Morice
Cough threshold in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Thorax, January 1, 1999; 54(1): 62 - 64.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Proc. Am. Thorac. Soc. Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol.
Copyright © 1997 American Thoracic Society 		  ATS PAR News