Objective To explore the association of sympathetic nerve damage with occupational asthma (OA)severity categories and courses by measuring the sympathetic skin response (SSR) in OA patients.
Methods According to OA severity classification and course, 146 patients were divided into four groups, including Group 1 with mild+ <5 years (n=36), Group 2 with mild+ ≥5 years (n=38), Group 3 with moderate-sever+ <5 years (n=34), and Group 4 with moderate-sever+ ≥5 years (n=38). Another 38 healthy workers in the same factory were selected as the control group. All the subjects received SSR tests to compare la tencies in upper and lower limbs as well as amplitudes in upper and lower limbs.
Results The SSR abnormality was found in 54.0% of the OA patients, compared with 21.0% in the control group. Longer SSR latencies for upper and lower limbs were found in the four OA groups than those in the control group (P<0.05); while lower SSR amplitudes for upper and lower limbs were found in the four OA groups than those in the control group (P<0.05). Except the lower limbs amplitude of Group 3 and 4, the paired differences in SSR indicators including upper limbs latency, lower limbs latency, upper limbs amplitude, and lower limbs amplitude between the four OA groups and the control group were statistically significant (P<0.05).
Conclusion Sympathetic nerve dysfunction could occur in the OA patients and be aggravated by the course and severity of the illness.
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