Challenges in Diagnosing Occupational Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

• Published in: Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) Vol. 57; no. 9; p. 911
• Main Authors: Libu, Cristiana, Otelea, Marina Ruxandra, Arghir, Ioan Anton, Rascu, Agripina, Antoniu, Sabina Antonela, Arghir, Oana Cristina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 30-08-2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Age; Air conditioning; Asthma; Biomass; Bronchitis; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; COPD-exposure hazards; Disease prevention; Etiology; Genotype & phenotype; inhaled noxious compounds; Investigations; Mortality; Occupational hazards; occupational medicine; Public health; Review; Risk factors; Smoking; workplace
• ISSN: 1648-9144; 1010-660X; 1648-9144
• DOI: 10.3390/medicina57090911

Occupational chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (oCOPD) represents 15–20% of the global burden of this disease. Even if industrial bronchitis has long been known, new occupational hazards continue to emerge and enlarge the number of people exposed to risk. This review discusses the challenges related to the early detection of oCOPD, in the context of new exposures and of limited usage of methods for an efficient disease occupational screening. It underlines that a better translation into clinical practice of the new methods for lung function impairment measurements, imaging techniques, or the use of serum or exhaled breath inflammation biomarkers could add significant value in the early detection of oCOPD. Such an approach would increase the chance to stop exposure at an earlier moment and to prevent or at least slow down the further deterioration of the lung function as a result of exposure to occupational (inhaled) hazards.