Location
Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de MontréalCategory
RespiratorySummary
A significant proportion (approximately 10-30%) of adult-onset asthma is related to workplace exposure. The scope of the burden associated with asthma is multifactorial; asthma’s health, personal, social and economic impacts have been well established. However, living with asthma may also have significant psychosocial impacts. For example, studies have linked symptoms of psychological distress (e.g., anxiety, depression) to increased asthma severity, increased use of emergency services, increased symptom reporting, poorer pulmonary function, lengthier hospital stays, and increased use of reliever medication. Despite strong associations between psychosocial stress, psychological disorders, and “non-occupational” asthma morbidity, these associations remain virtually unexplored in patients with OA. The primary objectives of the present study are (1) to estimate the prevalence of comorbid psychological disorders and psychosocial distress in patients referred for evaluation of OA; and (2) to assess the influence of psychosocial factors (e.g., psychological disorders, levels of psychosocial distress) on occupational status, asthma symptomatology, health service utilization, and quality of life 12 months post-evaluation in patients receiving eventual diagnoses of OA and various differential diagnoses (e.g., Hyperventilation Syndrome, Panic Disorder, other psychological disorder).
The goal is to contribute to improved diagnostic efficiency and effectiveness, appropriate treatment, reduced functional impairment, and improved patient quality of life. We would also like to determine the extent to which varying degrees of psychological stress (from moderately elevated scores on measures of anxiety and depression to meeting diagnostic criteria for a clinically significant psychiatric disorder) can negatively impact occupational, health and quality of life outcomes in patients who present with asthma-like symptoms in the workplace.
Guillaume Lacoste, Project coordinator
(514) 338-2222 ext. 3989
guillaume.lacoste@crhsc.rtss.qc.ca
IRSST- Institut de Recherche en Santé et Sécurité au Travail
Asthma in the Workplace Centre
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
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- Lavoie KL. (2014). Prévalence du stress psychologiques et des troubles psychiatriques chez les patients soumis à une évaluation relative à l’asthme professionnel et l’impact sur la situation d’emploi et l’utilisation des services de la santé au terme de suivi de 12 à 18 mois IRRST Rapports scientifiques, septembre 2014.
- Lavoie KL, Joseph M, Favreau H, Lemiere C, Labrecque M, Cartier A, Malo J-L, Gautrin D, Bacon SL. (2013). Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among patients investigated for occupational asthma: An overlooked differential diagnosis? American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 187: 926-932.
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- Tarlo, SM, Malo, JL, and Workshop Members (2006). Perspective: An American Thoracic Society/European Thoracic Society Report. 100 key questions and needs in occupational asthma. Eur Respir J; 27: 607–614.