Ironically, people who help patients with breathing problems have a high likelihood of developing respiratory disorders themselves.

Perhaps because of work-related chemical exposures, respiratory therapists are at increased risk for asthma and various respiratory symptoms, according to Canadian researchers.

“Routine monitoring and care of patients can expose (respiratory) therapists to trace amounts of airborne agents that can trigger respiratory symptoms and cause exacerbations of acute asthma,” lead researcher Dr. Helen Dimich-Ward, from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, said in a statement.

The findings, which appear in the medical journal Chest, are based on a survey of 275 respiratory therapists and 628 physiotherapists.

Respiratory therapists were at least twice as likely as physiotherapists to report being woken by difficulty breathing, being diagnosed with asthma after entering the profession, or having an asthma attack or wheeze.

Work factors related to asthma among respiratory therapists included cleansing instruments with disinfectants and treating patients with aerosolized ribavirin. The strongest predictor, however, was use of an oxygen tent or hood to deliver aerosolized agents, which raised the risk of asthma eight-fold.

“It is important for respiratory therapists and other medical professionals to recognize and understand the possible respiratory effects related to the administration of aerosolized substances and take appropriate steps to minimize their exposures to these medications during patient diagnostic procedures and treatments,” Dr. Richard S. Irwin, President of the American College of Chest Physicians, said in a statement.

SOURCE: Chest, October 2004.