Occupational Asthma (cont.)
IN THIS ARTICLE
- Occupational Asthma Overview
- Occupational Asthma Causes
- Occupational Asthma Symptoms
- When to Seek Medical Care
- Exams and Tests
- Occupational Asthma Treatment
- Self-Care at Home
- Medical Treatment
- Medications
- Next Steps
- Follow-up
- Prevention
- Outlook
- Support Groups and Counseling
- For More Information
- Web Links
- Synonyms and Keywords
- Authors and Editors
Occupational Asthma Causes
Asthma has 2 components: the underlying chronic inflammation and the periodic attacks. We do not know for certain what causes the underlying inflammation. What we do know is that the tendency to have asthma runs in families and that some people are born with the tendency.
We do know what causes asthma attacks: exposure to a trigger. The attack is similar in many ways to an allergic reaction.
- An allergic reaction is a response by the body's immune system to an "invader." That invader can be a substance or anything that the body senses as "different."
- When the cells of the immune system sense an invader, they set off a series of reactions that help fight off the invader.
- It is this series of reactions that causes the production of mucus and bronchospasms. These responses cause the symptoms of as asthma attack.
- Because asthma is a type of allergic reaction, it is sometimes called reactive airway disease.
- Plastics industry
- Rubber industry
- Chemical industry
- Textile industry
- Electronics industry
- Painting
- Printing
- Dyeing
- Metalworking
- Welding
- Oil refining
- Cleaning
- Baking and food processing
- Farming
- Gardening, landscaping, and horticulture
- Working with animals
- Laboratory work
- Frequent exposure to the trigger
- Allergies
- Family history of allergies or asthma
- Smoking
Next: Occupational Asthma Symptoms »
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Asthma is a clinical syndrome characterized by episodic reversible airway obstruction, increased bronchial reactivity, and airway inflammation.
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