Abstract
Background: Occupational Asthma (OA) is a respiratory disorder frequently observed in workers involved in spinning, batching, winding, finishing, beaming, and weaving in jute mills.
Objective: In this scenario, the present study was scrutinized to measure Peak Expiratory Flow rate (PEFR) and Eosinophil count (EC) among the jute workers.
Materials and Methods: The study encompasses a total of 204 subjects in which 102 were male jute mill workers in nellimarla and 102 subjects were designated as control. The patient demographics details were collected. Then PEFR was measured by Mini-Wright Peak Flow Meter (mWPFM) and the blood samples were withdrawn for the estimation of EC.
Results: In the present study, the PEFR was significantly (p<0.001) decreased in cases as that of the control. Whilst, the Eosinophil count was significantly (p<0.001) increased in cases (jute workers) when compared to the control cases. Further, period of exposure displayed non-significant PEFR value in cases as that of the control. Meanwhile, there exists a moderate negative correlation between the PEFR values and Eosinophil count in the cases.
Conclusions: Thus, the present finding highlights that the jute workers are highly prone respiratory illness and allergic reactions.
Keywords: Jute workers, occupational asthma, respiratory disorders, PEFR, Eosinophil count.
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DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v5i5.63
