Ten years of occupational respiratory diseases (ORD) registry in Catalonia

Aim: We present the results of ten years of an ORD voluntary surveillance system implemented in Catalonia and compare with the compulsory. Methods: Allergologists, occupational and chest physicians collected cases online or/and by postal card every two months. Results: The notification was stable over time with a mean of 373 newly diagnosed cases/year. The most frequent ORD was occupational asthma (OA) (41%). The most frequent causal agents were: isocyanates 171 (14%), flour 159 (13%), persulphates 113 (9%), cleaning products 107 (9%) and wood dust 75 (6%). There was a decline in the reporting of OA and also in acute inhalation and RADS. The second ORD most frequently reported were asbestos related diseases. We observed an increase in the notification of mesothelioma, from 29 cases between 2003-2005 to 67 cases between 2009-2011. ![Figure][1] The number of cases recorded by the voluntary register was between 3.1 to 4.4 times higher than the compulsory system. Conclusions: The ORD notification in this voluntary registry in Catalonia remained stable for ten years. OA and asbestos related diseases were the most frequent ORD. While a decrease in the reporting of OA, acute inhalation and RADS was observed, an increase occurred in mesothelioma. The compulsory scheme for reporting ORD is seriously underreporting. [1]: pending:yes