Work-related asthma in adults with severe asthma from the Korean Severe Asthma Registry (KoSAR)

Youngsoo Lee, MD; Sun-Kyung Lee, PhD; So-Young Park, MD, PhD; Min-Hye Kim, MD, PhD; Sung-Yoon Kang, MD, PhD; Ga-Young Ban, MD, PhD; Young-Hee Nam, MD, PhD; Joo-Hee Kim, MD, PhD; Chin Kook Rhee, MD, PhD; Woo-Jung Song, MD, PhD; Jae-Woo Kwon, MD, PhD; Taehoon Lee, MD, PhD; So Ri Kim, MD, PhD; Heung-Woo Park, MD, PhD; You Sook Cho, MD, PhD; Young-Il Koh, MD, PhD; Kwang-Ha Yoo, MD, PhD; Byung-Jae Lee, MD, PhD; Ho Joo Yoon, MD, PhD; Hae-Sim Park, MD, PhD; Sang-Heon Kim, MD, PhD

World Allergy Organization Journal (May 2024)

Work-related asthma in adults with severe asthma from the Korean Severe Asthma Registry (KoSAR)

Youngsoo Lee, MD,
Sun-Kyung Lee, PhD,
So-Young Park, MD, PhD,
Min-Hye Kim, MD, PhD,
Sung-Yoon Kang, MD, PhD,
Ga-Young Ban, MD, PhD,
Young-Hee Nam, MD, PhD,
Joo-Hee Kim, MD, PhD,
Chin Kook Rhee, MD, PhD,
Woo-Jung Song, MD, PhD,
Jae-Woo Kwon, MD, PhD,
Taehoon Lee, MD, PhD,
So Ri Kim, MD, PhD,
Heung-Woo Park, MD, PhD,
You Sook Cho, MD, PhD,
Young-Il Koh, MD, PhD,
Kwang-Ha Yoo, MD, PhD,
Byung-Jae Lee, MD, PhD,
Ho Joo Yoon, MD, PhD,
Hae-Sim Park, MD, PhD,
Sang-Heon Kim, MD, PhD

Affiliations

Youngsoo Lee, MD: Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
Sun-Kyung Lee, PhD: Department of Mathematics, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea; Division of Pulmonary Medicine and Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
So-Young Park, MD, PhD: Department of Internal Medicine, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Gwangmyeong, South Korea
Min-Hye Kim, MD, PhD: Department of Internal Medicine, Ewha Woman's University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Sung-Yoon Kang, MD, PhD: Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, South Korea
Ga-Young Ban, MD, PhD: Department of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Young-Hee Nam, MD, PhD: Department of Internal Medicine, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, South Korea
Joo-Hee Kim, MD, PhD: Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, South Korea
Chin Kook Rhee, MD, PhD: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
Woo-Jung Song, MD, PhD: Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Jae-Woo Kwon, MD, PhD: Department of Internal Medicine, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, South Korea
Taehoon Lee, MD, PhD: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, South Korea
So Ri Kim, MD, PhD: Division of Respiratory Medicine and Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, South Korea
Heung-Woo Park, MD, PhD: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
You Sook Cho, MD, PhD: Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Young-Il Koh, MD, PhD: Division of Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, South Korea
Kwang-Ha Yoo, MD, PhD: Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Byung-Jae Lee, MD, PhD: Department of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Ho Joo Yoon, MD, PhD: Division of Pulmonary Medicine and Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Hae-Sim Park, MD, PhD: Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
Sang-Heon Kim, MD, PhD: Division of Pulmonary Medicine and Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea; Corresponding author. Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 04763, South Korea.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 17, no. 5
p. 100903

Abstract

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Background: Exposure to allergens or irritants in the workplace may affect asthma control and the quality of life (QoL) of patients with asthma. Objective: To examine the prevalence and characteristics of work-related asthma (WRA) in adult patients with severe asthma. Methods: We analyzed data from the Korean Severe Asthma Registry (KoSAR), which is a nationwide multicenter observational study on severe asthma in Korea. Severe asthma was defined according to the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) guidelines. WRA was identified on the basis of asthma symptom aggravation at the workplace, as indicated by responses to a structured questionnaire. We compared the demographic and clinical characteristics and QoL between adult patients with severe asthma and WRA and those without WRA. Results: Among 364 patients with severe asthma who were employed at the time of enrollment, 65 (17.9%) had WRA. There were no significant differences in age, sex, obesity, or smoking history between the WRA and non-WRA groups. However, individuals with WRA exhibited a higher prevalence of anxiety (7.7% vs 2.4%, P = 0.046) and depression (12.3% vs 3.7%, P = 0.010) than those without. The levels of asthma control, lung function, and frequency of asthma exacerbations were similar between the two groups, but patients with WRA reported lower QoL, as determined by the Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adult Korean Asthmatics (56.6 ± 14.6 vs. 63.5 ± 13.9, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Patients with severe asthma and WRA are more likely to experience anxiety and depression and have lower QoL than those without WRA.

Published in World Allergy Organization Journal

ISSN: 1939-4551 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Specialties of internal medicine: Immunologic diseases. Allergy
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/world-allergy-organization-journal

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