Notifications of occupational asthma in the West Midlands
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Notifications of occupational asthma to the SHIELD database in the West Midlands 1991-2011
IRAS ID
135844
Contact name
Gareth Walters
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
The annual incidence of occupational asthma (OA) in the UK is 12-300 cases per million workers per year and regional differences in incidence exist depending on the prevalence of industry, and availability of health surveillance and specialist clinical services. Recently downward trends in the incidence of OA have been reported in the UK as a whole and in France (2001-2009). Newly diagnosed workers with OA in the West Midlands have been prospectively reported to the Midland Thoracic Society’s voluntary surveillance scheme (SHIELD) by respiratory and occupational physicians. During the 21 years of the database many factors have influenced reporting trends that are unrelated to the true incidence of OA. These include the effect of the Data Protection Act (UK, 1998) which reduced reporting from general respiratory physicians, outbreaks of OA in specific workplaces, limitations on referrals to secondary care and outsourcing of occupational health services to remote providers. Finally true incidence will be modified by outsourcing problem areas of work and by campaigns by the UK Health and Safety Executive to improve working conditions. We intend to undertake a descriptive time-trend analysis of SHIELD data from notifications made between 1991 and 2011, taking account of factors that may influence trends.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NE/0230
Date of REC Opinion
19 Jul 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion