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Factors associated with asthma and allergies in prehospital practitioners

02 May 2023
Features
02 May 2023
Volume 13 · Issue 2

Abstract

Aim:

This analysis was carried out to identify factors associated with asthma and allergies in prehospital emergency medical services staff in Germany over a 12-month period.

Methods:

Multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied and adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated.

Results:

In total, 2313 prehospital emergency medical services staff from Germany were included into the analysis. Women had the highest prevalence of asthma (12.28%) and allergies (40.61%). Asthma was significantly associated with gender, with lower odds for male (AOR 0.60; 95% CI [0.45-0.81]) than female practitioners. Allergies were significantly associated with: gender (male: AOR: 0.57; 95% CI (0.47-0.70)); smoking status (smokers: AOR: 0.79 (95% CI (0.62-0.99)); and role (trainees: AOR 1.37; 95% CI (1.06-1.78)).

Conclusion:

There is a high 12-month prevalence of asthma and allergies in certain groups of prehospital emergency practitioners in Germany and this is associated with several factors.

It is well known that prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) staff often experience pain (Imani et al, 2018; Möckel et al, 2021). In addition, the EMS Health Study, which included a total of 2313 prehospital EMS staff from Germany, showed that asthma and allergies frequently occur among them. For example, the prevalence of asthma (including allergic asthma) over 12 months in female participants aged 18-29 years was 12.7%, which is 1.72 times higher than in women of the same age in the general German population (Mockel et al, 2022).

International studies have also reported a higher risk of asthma and allergies in health professionals (McHugh et al, 2010; Ghosh et al, 2013; Boudinar et al, 2021). A longitudinal study found that homebased caregivers had 2.1-times higher odds of developing asthma (Ghosh et al, 2013). In addition, a study of French dentists indicated a prevalence of allergies of 50.3%, with work-associated allergies affecting 13.4% (Boudinar et al, 2021).

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Respiratory disease
Asthma
Allergies
Emergency medical services