Association between occupational exposure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and respiratory symptoms in the Spanish population

• Eduardo Loeb ^[1] ; Jan-Paul Zock ^[6] ; Marc Miravitlles ^[2] ; Esther Rodríguez ^[1] ; Juan José Soler-Cataluña ^[3] ; Joan B. Soriano ^[3] ; Francisco García-Río ^[3] ; Pilar de Lucas ^[7] ; Inmaculada Alfageme ^[4] ; Ciro Casanova ^[5] ; José Miguel Rodríguez González-Moro ^[8] ; Julio Ancochea ^[3] ; Borja G. Cosío ^[3] ; aume Ferrer Sancho ^[2]
  1. [1] Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

     Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

     Barcelona, España

     
  2. [2] Hospital Vall d'Hebron

     Hospital Vall d'Hebron

     Barcelona, España

     
  3. [3] Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias

     Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias

     Madrid, España

     
  4. [4] Hospital Universitario de Valme

     Hospital Universitario de Valme

     Sevilla, España

     
  5. [5] Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria

     Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria

     Santa Cruz de Tenerife, España

     
  6. [6] Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública y Medio Ambiente (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
  7. [7] Servicio de Neumología, Hospital General Gregorio Marañon, Madrid, Spain
  8. [8] Servicio de Neumología, Hospital Universitario Vithas Madrid Arturo Soria, Universidad Europea (UE), Madrid, Spain

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• Localización: Archivos de bronconeumología: Organo oficial de la Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica SEPAR y la Asociación Latinoamericana de Tórax ( ALAT ), ISSN 0300-2896, Vol. 60, Nº. 1, 2024, págs. 16-22
• Idioma: inglés
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  • Introduction The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of occupational exposure on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and respiratory symptoms in the general Spanish population.

    Methods This was a study nested in the Spanish EPISCAN II cross-sectional epidemiological study that included participants who had completed a structured questionnaire on their occupational history, a questionnaire on respiratory symptoms, and forced spirometry. The data were analyzed using Chi-square and Student's t tests and adjusted models of multiple linear regression and logistic regression.

    Results We studied 7502 subjects, 51.1% women, with a mean age of 60±11 years. Overall, 53.2% reported some respiratory symptoms, 7.9% had respiratory symptoms during their work activity, 54.2% were or had been smokers, and 11.3% (851 subjects) met COPD criteria on spirometry. A total of 3056 subjects (40.7%) reported exposure to vapors, gases, dust or fumes (VGDF); occupational exposure to VGDF was independently associated with the presence of COPD (OR 1.22, 95% CI: 1.03–1.44), respiratory symptoms (OR 1.45, 95%: CI 1.30–1.61), and respiratory symptoms at work (OR 4.69, 95% CI: 3.82–5.77), with a population attributable fraction for COPD of 8.2%.

    Conclusions Occupational exposure is associated with a higher risk of COPD and respiratory symptoms in the Spanish population. These results highlight the need to follow strict prevention measures to protect the respiratory health of workers.