Occupational asthma: Wheezing at work Like many people, you may at least occasionally get sick of your job. This "condition" often is a normal reaction, and may be resolved by a short vacation, a new project or an interesting new colleague. But when your job starts making you physically ill, it may be time to seek medical care. Do you experience wheezing, coughing or shortness of breath at work? Do you have trouble breathing, accompanied by itchy eyes stress induced asthma stress induced asthma or a runny nose? Do you get better when you're away from work but have the same problems when you return? If you answer yes to any of these questions, you may have occupational asthma. What is occupational asthma? Occupational asthma is a respiratory disease caused by exposure to dust, vapors, gases or fumes in the workplace. When inhaled, these substances irritate your respiratory system and may cause sneezing, coughing, chest tightness or difficulty in breathing - all coughing asthma stress induced asthma symptoms of an asthma attack. Mechanism of asthma (click to enlarge) James T. Li, M.D., is a specialist in allergies, asthma and immunology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. "Occupational asthma generally occurs in one of two ways," Dr. Li says. A direct response to an irritant. Asthmatic symptoms are brought on immediately by exposure to substances like ammonia, hydrochloric acid, sulfur dioxide or environmental smoke. This type of exposure especially affects people who already have asthma. Long-term sensitization. testimonial asthma stress induced asthma Your body develops an allergy from continued exposure - sometimes over months or years - to a specific substance. Symptoms of occupational asthma emerge when your immune system produces an allergic response to the substance. For example, veterinarians may develop an allergy to certain animal proteins. Common irritants The "Primer on Allergic and Immunologic Diseases" published in the Dec. 10, 1997, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) estimates that occupational asthma may account for asthma children sports stress induced asthma up to
