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Biomedical subjects

A Innocenti

Publications and source records attributed to A Innocenti.

48 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Atopy, asthma and the judgement of preemployment fitness].

The preemployment medical examination is a practice viewed as important by recently introduced Italian laws (D.L. 277/91 and 626/94), even if its efficacy with regard to atopy is frequently a matter of controversy. It has been assumed that atopy (with a prevalence in the general population around 30%) is a predictive discriminant in the prevention of occupational allergic asthma, but a review of the literature shows that the hypothetical exclusion of 23 per cent of total job applicants (because they are atypical) would seem to prevent only 55 per cent of asthma cases. At the present time, the concept of discrimination in employment founded on presence of atopy is scientifically unsubstantiated and ethically unacceptable.

Asthma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Occupational asthma due to colophony in non-industrial environments.

Colophony is largely used in industrial environments, like the electronics and the rubber tyre industries, but it is also present in non-industrial environments as a constituent of glues and paper. For this reason it is one of the commonest skin sensitizers. Many cases of occupational asthma due to colophony have been described, but reports apart from electronic industry are not common. The case is described of a subject employed in administrative work who developed asthma due to colophony from using sealing wax to seal samples of food packages.

Asthma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Repetitive movement of the upper limbs: results of exposure evaluation and clinical investigation in cash register operators in supermarkets].

In order to evaluate the prevalence of joint and periarticular disorders of the upper limbs attributable to repetitive movements (WMSDs), 100 female supermarket cashiers were examined. Their average age was 29.5 years (SD = 6.3), and their average length of service was 3.9 years (SD = 1.9). Only 26% of the women were anamnestically negative for WMSDs, while 74% had one or more disorders due to repetitive trauma of the upper limbs, although a definite diagnosis could be made in only 33 cases. The majority of the disorders affected the right side and the localisation was primarily in the shoulder and wrist. The risk factor analysis on the one hand confirmed that high-frequency repetitive movements of the wrist and hand, associated with inadequate recovery times, do play a role in determining the onset of upper limb and carpal tunnel syndrome. On the other hand, the study also revealed a definite need to review the way the work is organised, so that each shift at the cash register includes suitable functional recovery periods.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Repetitive movement of the upper limbs: results of exposure evaluation and clinical investigation during jar packaging of preserved vegetables].

In order to assess the prevalence of work-related musculo-skeletal disorders of the upper limbs, a total population of 29 female workers in an industrial vegetable preserving plant were examined. The average age of the workers was 41.3 years (SD = 9.2), and their average length of service was 16.7 years (SD = 7.2). Only 20% of the workers were anamnestically negative, whilst 80% had one or more disorders attributable to repetitive trauma of the upper limbs. The disorders showed no prevalence for the right side, a finding in line with the risk analysis which indicated that both limbs were equally used. The results of the risk analysis and clinical assessment confirm that high-frequency actions, combined with improper posture and a shortage of suitable recovery times, play a causal role in determining the onset of the disorders studied.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Occupational asthma: considerations on epidemiology and criteria of damage evaluation].

The authors review the available data on occupational asthma in Italy; it is estimated that 500-600 cases occur per year, although it is difficult to establish the real prevalence of this disease; it is in any case under estimated. The author also reviews the medical/legal criteria used for diagnosis and compensation purposes, and criteria are proposed for the assessment of residual permanent damage. This assessment should be based not only on the degree of bronchial obstruction (as in the case of pneumoconiosis and chronic bronchitis), but also on the degree of bronchial hyper-reactivity and the need to take drugs (mainly steroid drugs orally). As examples, the author quotes the guidelines of the American Thoracic Society and the compensation system in force in Quebec in Canada, where these aspects are adequately taken into account. Assessment of residual permanent damage can only be performed when the clinical conditions of the patient, the spirometry and bronchial hyper-reactivity levels are stabilized (usually two years after cessation of exposure to the agent responsible for the disease); otherwise the damage may be overestimated or a false underestimation may result. The author stresses the importance of medical rehabilitation and retraining of the occupational asthmatic if resumption of his former job, which caused the disease, is not feasible. Early diagnosis of occupational asthma is necessary not only in order to avoid clinical aggravation of the disease but also to limit the social and economic costs.

Adolescent↗