Source: Annual Congress 2010 - Occupational asthma
Disease area: Airway diseases

Abstract

Background: Knowledge on asthma incidence in an adult population is limited.
Aim: To estimate the incidence rate of adult-onset asthma in relation to age, sex, smoking and occupational exposures in a random population sample.
Methods: A random sample aged 16-75 years (n=30,000) was investigated using a respiratory questionnaire and 62% of those completed it. Adult-onset asthma was defined as "physician-diagnosed asthma" from 16 years of age. The subjects were asked to report the year of asthma diagnosis and the year of smoke-start and smoke-stop. Subjects with incomplete data, onset of asthma before the age of 16 and physician-diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were excluded. Incidence rates of adult-onset asthma were calculated and hazard ratios (HR) were assessed by Cox-regression. Stratification was used regarding sex, age and smoking status.
Results: In the observation period 1990-2008, 359 new cases of asthma occurred and the cumulative incidence for physician-diagnosed asthma was 2.9%. The crude incidence rate was 1.4/1000 person-years (95% CI: 1.3/1000-1.6/1000), with significantly higher rate in women 1.8/1000 (95% CI: 1.6/1000-2.1/1000) compared to men 0.9/1000 (95% CI: 0.8/1000-1.1/1000). The incidence rate declined with increasing age but was not significantly affected by smoking status. In the Cox regression models the risk of asthma was increased in females HR 2.1 (95% CI: 1.7-2.7) and in subjects exposed to occupational dust and fume HR 1.8 (95% CI: 1.4-2.3).
Conclusions: The incidence rate of asthma in a general population aged 16-75 years was 1.4/1000 person-years and higher in women. Occupational exposures were associated with increased risk of asthma.

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J. Hillström, L. Ekerljung, J. L. Kim, G. Wennergren, E. Rönmark, J. Lötvall, B. Lundbäck, K. Torén (Gothenburg, , Luleå, Umeå, Sweden). The incidence rate of adult-onset asthma in west Sweden – The impact of sex and occupational exposures. Eur Respir J 2010; 36: Suppl. 54, 1461

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