Prospective outcome assessment of occupational rhinitis after removal from exposure.

OBJECTIVE

To conduct a prospective evaluation of clinical and quality of life (QOL) outcomes of occupational rhinitis (OR) after cessation of exposure.

METHODS

We assessed changes in nasal symptoms, disease-specific QOL, nasal patency, and nasal inflammation in 20 subjects with confirmed OR. Olfactory function was assessed cross-sectionally at follow-up.

RESULTS

At follow-up, a significant decrease in the number of nasal symptoms and a significant improvement in QOL were observed. There were no significant differences in nasal patency outcomes. A not significant decrease in neutrophils number in nasal fluid and a significant decrease in macrophages were observed. As a group, study subjects showed a mild olfactory dysfunction at follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

We showed that cessation of exposure to causal agent improved QOL in patients with OR, leading to relief of rhinitis-associated symptoms and improvement in well-being.