Quality-of-life, psychological, and cost outcomes 2 years after diagnosis of occupational asthma.

Objective: To examine the association between clinical and socioeconomic variables and their influence on psychological and cost outcomes in patients with occupational asthma (OA). Methods: Longitudinal study of 60 subjects who claimed compensation for OA in Quebec. Besides clinical markers of asthma, quality of life (QOL), psychological distress (PD) measures, and an instrument to diagnose mental disorders were used. Results: The QOL and PD parameters had moderate correlations with clinical markers of OA. Asthma severity, employment, marital status, income, and the length of employment with the employer showed the strongest associations with QOL and PD. More-impaired QOL was associated with higher direct costs for compensation. Conclusions: Impaired QOL and PD are frequent among subjects with OA receiving compensation and are associated with clinical markers of OA and socioeconomic factors.