Exposure-response relations in occupational rhinitis in textile workers : time of onset.

Abstract

Introduction: Respiratory diseases such as asthma and rhinitis may occur in textile workers due to the inhalation of textile dust. Several studies showed a relation between exposure to dust and prevalence of chest or nasal symptoms in textile workers. However, time of onset of symptoms still always unpredictable. Objective: Identify factors influencing the time of onset of symptoms of occupational rhinitis (OR) among textile workers. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out enrolling all cases of occupational allergic rhinitis among workers in the textile industry declared to The National Health Insurance Fund in the central Tunisian region during the period from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2012. Results: We evaluated a total of 115 workers. The mean age of our population was 38 ± 8 years with a female predominance (79 women versus 36 men). The time of onset of OR was classified according to the quartile method with a median of 6 years thus defining four classes: <1 year, 1-5 years, 6-14 years,> 14 years. Gender, atopy, workplace and etiological allergen were not statistically influencing time of onset of symptoms of OR. However, our data showed that time of onset was more delayed for older workers (p < 10⁻³) with more seniority (p < 10⁻³), having longer exposure duration (p < 10⁻³) and the most qualified (p < 10⁻³). Conclusion: The profile of workers likely to develop occupational rhinitis faster is a young, unskilled or poorly qualified worker with a short exposure period. Thus, we suggest that the risk of OR is less dependant on the cumulative dust exposure than the inhalable dust concentrations.