Mortality Associated With Occupational Exposure in Helsinki, Finland-A 24-Year Follow-up

• Published in: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine Vol. 65; no. 1; p. 22
• Main Authors: Jalasto, Juuso, Luukkonen, Ritva, Lindqvist, Ari, Langhammer, Arnulf, Kankaanranta, Hannu, Backman, Helena, Rönmark, Eva, Sovijärvi, Anssi, Kauppi, Paula, Piirilä, Päivi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.01.2023
• Subjects: Asthma - etiology; Asthma - mortality; Finland - epidemiology; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Occupational Diseases - epidemiology; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - etiology; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - mortality; Risk Factors; Finland
• ISSN: 1536-5948
• DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002718

Our objective was to study mortality related to different obstructive lung diseases, occupational exposure, and their potential joint effect in a large, randomized population-based cohort. We divided the participants based on the answers to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) diagnoses and occupational exposure and used a combined effects model and compared the results to no asthma or COPD with no occupational exposure. High exposure had a hazards ratio (HR) of 1.34 (1.11-1.62) and asthma and COPD coexistence of 1.58 (1.10-2.27). The combined effects of intermediate exposure and coexistence had an HR of 2.20 (1.18-4.09), high exposure with coexistence of 1.94 (1.10-3.42) for overall mortality, and sub-HR for respiratory-related mortality of 3.21 (1.87-5.50). High occupational exposure increased overall but not respiratory-related mortality hazards, while coexisting asthma and COPD overall and respiratory-related hazards of mortality.