Nearly 75% of People with Asthma Unable to Work to Their Full Potential

People with asthma are missing around one-tenth of work hours due to their symptoms, which results in productivity loss and affects their emotional wellbeing.

Asthma affects millions of people globally, with many patients experiencing symptoms that affect their daily lives despite taking long-term controller medication, reveals a new study. The findings of the study are published in the Journal of Asthma and Allergy.

The World Health Organisation estimates that 235 million people around the world suffer from asthma. But little is known about the impact of asthma on symptomatic people's ability to work.

Asthma in Children and Adults - Facts, Treatment and Symptoms
Adult and childhood asthma are caused due to inflammation of the airways, but differences exist in their intensity and triggers.

‘Work time is negatively affected by asthma in patients despite the use of long-term maintenance medication. ’
Read More..

This new research, published in the Journal of Asthma and Allergy, surveyed over 1,500 symptomatic asthma patients across six countries and found that on average three out of four workers could not work to their full potential.

Further, the survey indicated that asthma impacted the respondent's emotional wellbeing, including mental strain and embarrassment. A research team, led by Dr. Kevin Gruffydd-Jones from Box Surgery, Wiltshire, UK, invited a random selection of participants from Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Spain, and the UK to participate in an online 'Work Productivity and Activity Impairment - Specific Health Problem' survey developed by Research Now ® (London, UK).

The survey quantified the impact of asthma on work time missed, loss of productivity while working and total work productivity loss for the seven days prior to the survey.

Childhood Asthma - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention
Childhood asthma is a condition that affects airways in children and interferes with their daily activities including play, sports, school and sleep.

In addition, the questionnaire asked the open-ended question, "How does your asthma at work make you feel?" to judge the impact of a patient's asthma symptoms on their emotional wellbeing at work.

Respondents were selected to participate in the survey if they were over 18 years old, diagnosed with asthma by a healthcare professional, currently employed full- or part-time and a long-term user of a controller inhaler or preventative medication.

Occupational Asthma | Work-related Asthma
Occupational Asthma (OA) is a lung disorder that occurs due to exposure to toxic substances at the workplace. The mainstay of management of OA is reduction of exposure to the toxic substances.

A total of 1,598 symptomatic patients completed the 5-minute survey between April and September 2015. The study results found that, on average, up to one-tenth (9.3%) of work hours were missed in a single week because of workers' asthma symptoms.

This averaged out to 5.4 work hours missed for both part- and full-time employees. Further, roughly three out of four (74%) workers reported being unable to work to their full potential because of their asthma, with 42% of workers experiencing a 'prominent' reduction in productivity.

Tests for Asthma - Medical and Family History, Diagnosis & Treatment
Do you find it difficult to breathe especially during the cold weather? You may need to get tested for asthma, a respiratory condition that is induced by allergies.

Workers commonly reported feeling challenged by respiratory symptoms, as well as tiredness/weakness, mental strain, and physical impairments. Overall, total work productivity dropped by one third (36%) due to asthma."But, what struck us most was the emotional response to asthma in the workplace," explains Dr. Gruffydd-Jones.

"A significant number of patients felt guilt, shame, and embarrassment when using inhalers at work."

Respondents also reported feeling inferior and disadvantaged compared to their non-symptomatic colleagues, and over two-thirds of respondents felt that asthma negatively impacted their work activities.

Despite capturing a one-week snapshot from a working year only, without comparison with asymptomatic patients or personnel with no asthma, this study highlights the global issue of asthma in the workplace, its impact on productivity and the personal challenges it causes workers.

The solution, Dr. Gruffydd-Jones explains, requires a coordinated approach by clinicians, employers and occupational health teams.

"Clinicians must ask patients about the impact of asthma on their work and employers must encourage their workers to seek medical help and provide an 'asthma friendly' environment.

"This requires not only providing appropriate environmental controls but also a working environment that minimizes embarrassment, such as allowing to staff to move out of the immediate work environment to use their inhalers."

Source-Eurekalert