Abstract
BackgroundWork-related respiratory disorders are major contributors to the global burden of respiratory diseases. Agricultural workers are exposed to a number of dusts, which may contribute to the development of respiratory disorders. However, the knowledge about the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function status in African farmers was limited. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function status of Ethiopian farmers exposed to farming activities.MethodsA community based comparative cross sectional study was conducted among 288 agricultural workers (farmers) aged 18 to 65 years and 288 control subjects (non-agricultural workers). Data were collected by interviewer administered structured questionnaires adopted from British Medical Research Council respiratory questionnaire and American Thoracic Society Division of Lung Diseases questionnaire. Moreover, all study participants underwent spirometry.ResultsThe prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms was higher in farmers than in controls, with significant difference for cough (20.5% vs. 9.0%, p = 0.001) and phlegm (19.1% vs. 9.0%, p = 0.001). Chronic respiratory symptoms among farmers were significantly associated with duration of agricultural exposure (p = 0.014). The mean values of all spirometric parameters were lower in farmers than in controls with significant difference for FVC, FEV1, FEF25%, FEF50%, FEF25–75% and PEFR. Moreover, the mean values of all spirometric parameters of farmers have found to be decreased with increased duration of workplace exposure. Lung function test results also showed a higher prevalence of obstructive (15.6% vs. 10.8%, p = 0.085) and restrictive type (12.8% vs. 3.1%, p < 0.001) of pulmonary function impairment in farmers than in controls. However, the difference was not significant for obstructive type of impairment.ConclusionThis study indicated that farmers are at high risk for the development of chronic respiratory symptoms and reduced pulmonary function indices. Hence, a comprehensive occupational safety practices are important to maintain the respiratory health of farmers.
Highlights
Work-related respiratory disorders are major contributors to the global burden of respiratory diseases
Regarding to demographic characteristics of the study participants, there was no significant difference between the two examined groups (p > 0.05) (Table 1)
This study showed that farmers had an increased prevalence of all respiratory symptoms with statistical significant difference for chronic cough and chronic phlegm than the control subjects
Summary
Work-related respiratory disorders are major contributors to the global burden of respiratory diseases. Agricultural workers are exposed to a number of dusts, which may contribute to the development of respiratory disorders. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function status of Ethiopian farmers exposed to farming activities. Chronic respiratory symptoms including chronic cough, phlegm, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness could be the manifestations of chronic respiratory diseases, which are mainly developed as a result of exposure to occupational hazards [1, 2]. It is likely that workers in agriculture sector are exposed to a number of potentially hazardous exposures such as pesticides, pollens, gases, dusts, particulates in the ambient air and zoonotic microbes that may contribute to the development of respiratory disorders [8,9,10]. The increasing use of different chemical substances such as pesticides and other agrochemicals further aggravates the risks [11]
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