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3002728 
Journal Article 
Middle-aged men with asthma since youth: the impact of work on asthma 
Lindstrom, I; Suojalehto, H; Pallasaho, P; Luukkonen, R; Karjalainen, J; Lauerma, A; Karjalainen, A 
2013 
Yes 
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
ISSN: 1076-2752
EISSN: 1536-5948 
55 
917-923 
English 
Objectives: To evaluate current occupational exposure and its associations with asthma control, exacerbations, and severity in middle-aged men with asthma from youth. Methods: We used the Finnish Defence Force registers, 1986 to 1990, to select conscripts with asthma to represent mild or moderate asthmatic group (asthma group 1; N = 505), men who were exempted from military service to represent relatively severe asthmatic group (asthma group 2; N = 393), and a control group without asthma (N= 1500). A questionnaire was sent out in 2009. Results: The current self-reported or expert-evaluated exposure to asthma-aggravating factors differed only slightly between the asthmatic groups and the controls. In asthma group 2, being a manual worker or self-employed (odds ratio, 4.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 16.3) significantly associated with asthma exacerbations. Conclusions: Current work may associate with the asthma outcome of middle-aged men with relatively severe asthma in their youth. 
IRIS
• Ammonia