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Background: Work environments are potential areas for spreading respiratory infections. We hypothesized that certain occupations increase susceptibility to respiratory infections among adults with asthma. Our objective was to compare the occurrence of respiratory infections among different occupations in adults with newly diagnosed asthma., Methods: We analysed a study population of 492 working-age adults with newly diagnosed asthma who were living in the geographically defined Pirkanmaa Area in Southern Finland during a population-based Finnish Environment and Asthma Study (FEAS). The determinant of interest was occupation at the time of diagnosis of asthma. We assessed potential relations between occupation and occurrence of both upper and lower respiratory tract infections during the past 12 months. The measures of effect were incidence rate ratio (IRR) and risk ratio (RR) adjusted for age, gender, and smoking habits. Professionals, clerks, and administrative personnel formed the reference group., Results: The mean number of common colds in the study population was 1.85 (95% CI 1.70, 2.00) infections in the last 12 months. The following occupational groups showed increased risk of common colds: forestry and related workers (aIRR 2.20, 95% CI 1.15-4.23) and construction and mining (aIRR 1.67, 95% CI 1.14-2.44). The risk of lower respiratory tract infections was increased in the following groups: glass, ceramic, and mineral workers (aRR 3.82, 95% CI 2.54-5.74), fur and leather workers (aRR 2.06, 95% CI 1.01-4.20) and metal workers (aRR 1.80, 95% CI 1.04-3.10)., Conclusions: We provide evidence that the occurrence of respiratory infections is related to certain occupations., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Only a few previous studies have investigated the subtypes of adult-onset asthma. No previous study has assessed whether these subtypes are different between men and women, or whether these subtypes have different risk factors., Methods: We applied latent class analyses to the Finnish Environment and Asthma Study population, including 520 new cases of adult-onset asthma. We formed subtypes separately between women and men and analyzed the following determinants as potential predictors for these subtypes: age, body mass index, smoking, and parental asthma., Results: Among women, the subtypes identified were: 1. Moderate asthma , 2. Cough-variant asthma , 3. Eosinophilic asthma , 4. Allergic asthma , and 5. Difficult asthma . Among men, the subtypes were: 1. Mild asthma , 2. Moderate asthma , 3. Allergic asthma , and 4. Difficult asthma . Three of the subtypes were similar among women and men: Moderate, Allergic , and Difficult asthma . In addition, women had two distinct subtypes: Cough-variant asthma , and Eosinophilic asthma . These subtypes had different risk factor profiles, e.g., heredity was important for Eosinophilic and Allergic asthma (RR for Both parents having asthma in Eosinophilic 3.55 (1.09 to 11.62)). Furthermore, smoking increased the risk of Moderate asthma among women (RR for former smoking 2.21 (1.19 to 4.11)) and Difficult asthma among men but had little influence on Allergic or Cough-variant asthma. Conclusion: This is an original investigation of the subtypes of adult-onset asthma identified at the time of diagnosis. These subtypes differ between women and men, and these subtypes have different risk factor profiles. These findings have both clinical and public health importance for the etiology, prognosis, and treatment of adult-onset asthma.

Introduction: Smoking increases the risk of asthma and reduces lung function among subjects with and without asthma. We assessed the effects of smoking on lung function reflecting both central and small airways among adults with newly onset asthma., Methods: In a population-based study, 521 (response rate 86%) working-aged adults with clinically defined newly diagnosed asthma answered a questionnaire on personal smoking and other factors potentially influencing lung function, and performed spirometry. We applied multiple linear regression analysis to estimate the relations between smoking and lung function adjusting for confounding., Results: Among asthmatics, FEV 1 level was reduced significantly, on average 208 mL, related to regular smoking (adjusted effect estimate -0.208, 95% CI -0.355 to -0.061) and 245 mL in relation to former smoking, that is, among those who quit less than a year ago (-0.245, 95% CI -0.485 to -0.004). In contrast, FEV 1 was not significantly related to occasional smoking or former smoking among those who quit over a year ago. Forced expiratory flow (FEF) levels (L/s) were also significantly reduced among regular smokers (FEF 25-75% : -0.372, 95% CI -0.607 to -0.137; FEF 50% : -0.476, 95% CI -0.750 to -0.202). An exposure-response pattern related to both daily smoking rate and lifetime cumulative smoking was seen both among men and women., Conclusions: This study provides new evidence that among working-aged adults with new asthma, regular smoking and former smoking reduce lung function levels with a dose-response pattern. The lung function parameters applied as outcomes reflect both larger and smaller airways., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Rationale: Identification of the subpopulation especially susceptible to the adverse effects of second-hand smoke exposure (SHS) would be useful for preventive actions and interventions., Objectives: To investigate whether asthmatic heredity indicates susceptibility to the effects of SHS on the risk of adult-onset asthma., Methods: A population-based incident case-control study of clinically defined adult-onset asthma and randomly drawn control subjects (adults 21-63 yr old) from a geographically defined area in South Finland. After excluding current and ex-smokers there were 226 cases and 450 disease-free control subjects., Measurements and Main Results: Our outcome measure was new adult-onset asthma. Parental asthma and recent SHS had a synergistic effect on the risk of asthma, the adjusted odds ratio being 1.97 (95% confidence interval, 1.12-3.45) for SHS; 2.64 (1.65-4.24) for parental asthma; and 12.69 (3.44-46.91) for their joint effect (relative excess risk due interaction, 9.08 [-0.22 to 43.18]). Synergistic effect followed a dose-dependent pattern with both recent and cumulative SHS exposures, with relative excess risk due interaction for parental asthma and over 100 SHS cigarette-years of 6.17 (0.57-19.16)., Conclusions: This is the first study showing that individuals with asthmatic heredity have a considerably increased risk of adult-onset asthma when exposed to SHS. SHS exposure has dose-dependent synergism with family history of asthma, the joint effect being stronger with higher exposure levels. Avoiding SHS could be an important preventive measure for reducing the risk of adult-onset asthma among those with asthmatic heredity. Asking about family history of asthma is a useful tool for identifying these susceptible individuals in clinical and preventive settings.

Background: Both tobacco smoking and atopy increase the risk of adult‐onset asthma. We studied if there are differences in the effects of smoking on the risks of atopic and non‐atopic adult‐onset asthma, and if gender modifies these effects. Methods: The Finnish Environment and Asthma Study (FEAS) includes 521 incident cases of adult‐onset asthma and 932 population‐based controls, aged 21 to 63 years, recruited from a geographically defined area of Pirkanmaa, South Finland. Asthma was defined based on symptoms and lung function measurements, atopy by IgE antibodies to common aeroallergens and smoking by the study questionnaire. Results: Altogether 212 cases were atopic, and 251 cases were non‐atopic. Regular smoking increased the risk of atopic asthma (adjusted OR 1.24, 95% CI 0.83–1.85), this effect was seen in women (aOR 1.77, 1.06–2.95) but not in men (aOR 0.75, 0.39–1.45). Among regular smokers, the amount smoked was lowest among women with atopic asthma. Recent quitting of smoking was related to increased risk of both atopic (aOR 4.91, 2.26–10.65) and non‐atopic (aOR 4.37, 1.87–10.21) asthma. Having quitted smoking over a year ago was related to increased risk of non‐atopic asthma (aOR 1.57, 1.08–2.28), mainly in men (aOR 2.03, 1.06–3.88). Conclusions: In women, rather small amounts of regular smoking increase the risk of atopic asthma. However, for non‐atopic asthma, the smoking induced risk continues for longer after quitting, especially in men. In conclusion, the effects of smoking on the risks of atopic and non‐atopic asthma differ, and gender modifies these effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]