TITLE:
Epidemiology of Occupational Asthma in Tunisia: Results of a First National Study
AUTHORS:
Maoua Maher, El Maalel Olfa, Boughattas Wided, Chatti Souhail, Gharbi Ezzeddine, Kammoun Houda, Kalboussi Houda, Mlaouah Jabrane, Abbassi Ammar, Brahem Aicha, Loukil Mouna, Haj Salah Habib, Ben Khdimallah Khaled, Masmoudi Tasnim, Benzarti Mohamed, Debbabi Faten, Mrizak Néjib
KEYWORDS:
Epidemiology, Occupational Asthma, Pneumology, Allergology, Tunisia
JOURNAL NAME:
Occupational Diseases and Environmental Medicine,
Vol.4 No.2,
May
12,
2016
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Apart from its increasingly important frequency, occupational asthma (OA) has become
the most important cause of occupational respiratory disorders in developed countries. The
number of etiological agents continues to grow following the constant introduction of new harmful
substances in industry. Objectives: Determine the prevalence and incidence of OA in our country,
the socio-occupational characteristics of asthmatics, and study the forensic and social impact
of such pathology. Material and Methods: An exhaustive retrospective epidemiological study was
conducted in Tunisia about charts of occupational asthma cases recognized by the competent
commissions of the National Medical Care Fund (CNAM) during the period ranging from January 1st 2000 to December 31st 2008. Results: 361 occupational asthma cases, accounting for a prevalence
of 7.17% of all occupational diseases, were recognized during the period of the study. Occupational
asthma annual incidence was estimated to be 24.42 cases per 1000000 workers. Our study population
was mainly women with a sex ratio of 0.86. More than a half (57.6%) of recognized OA
cases were working in the textile industry sector. Concerning the asthmatics’ professional career,
most of recognized OA cases (n = 225 i.e. 70.6% of cases) kept their jobs, whereas 58 patients did
not. The professional career was linked to gender with a job loss that is 1.79 time more important
in asthmatic women. Conclusion: The incidence of occupational asthma in Tunisia is comparablewith that found in other Mediterranean countries. A rigorous and adequate prevention is necessary
and allows reducing the importance of this occupational pathology and its serious consequences.