Asthma is a respiratory disease caused by an inflammatory reaction of the bronchial tubes. Symptoms of asthma include having difficulty breathing, coughing, and wheezing.
Asthma is a disease that affects 5 to 10% of the population. Approximately 10% of asthmatics report that their symptoms grow worse when they are at work.
There are two different situations that could explain the aggravation of asthmatic symptoms in the workplace:
One or more agents in the workplace may cause an allergic sensitization or, when inhaled at a high concentration, may cause an inflammatory or structural attack. This is called occupational asthma, either with a latency period (in the case of an allergic sensitization that takes some time to appear) or with no latency period (in the case of a sudden inhalation). (CSST)
Agents in the workplace may cause irritation in asthmatics. This is called work-aggravated asthma.