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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you have occupational asthma, your doctor will likely recommend avoiding any contact with the irritant that triggers your symptoms. You may also need asthma medications to help relieve your symptoms.
Avoiding the workplace irritant
This is essential to successfully treat occupational asthma. But it's easier said than done. Once you become sensitive to a substance, even tiny amounts of it may trigger asthma symptoms. As long as the substance is used in your workplace, it may still cause asthma symptoms even if you wear a mask or respirator.
Long-term control medications
These medications are taken on a regular basis to keep your symptoms at bay. Examples include:
- Inhaled corticosteroids such as fluticasone (Flovent) and budesonide (Pulmicort)
- Long-acting beta agonists (LABAs) such as salmeterol (Serevent Diskus) and formoterol (Foradil Aerolizer)
- Leukotriene modifiers such as montelukast (Singulair) and zafirlukast (Accolate)
- Cromolyn and nedocromil
- Theophylline
- Combination medications such as Advair Diskus (fluticasone and salmeterol) and Symbicort (budesonide and formoterol)
Quick relief medications
Short-acting bronchodilators relieve immediate symptoms. Also called "rescue" or "quick-relief" medications, examples include:
- Albuterol (AccuNeb, Proventil, Ventolin, others)
- Levalbuterol (Xopenex)
- Pirbuterol (Maxair)
- Ipratropium (Atrovent)
Oral corticosteroids
Because oral corticosteroids can cause long-term side effects, they're generally reserved for severe asthma symptoms. Examples include prednisone, methylprednisolone and hydrocortisone.
If you have severe occupational asthma and stay at your job, asthma medications are unlikely to keep your condition from worsening. Although medications may help, you may need to leave your workplace to prevent permanent lung damage or worsening asthma symptoms.
Allergy medications
If you have asthma triggered by an allergic reaction to something, your options may include:
- Allergy shots (immunotherapy)
- Omalizumab (Xolair)
- Chan-Yeung M. Overview of occupational asthma. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 29, 2009.
- Malo J. Diagnosis and clinical assessment of asthma. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 29, 2009.
- Dykewicz MS. Occupational asthma: Current concepts in pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2009;123:519.
- GINA report, global strategy for asthma management and prevention. Cape Town, South Africa: Global Initiative for Asthma. http://www.ginasthma.org/Guidelineitem.asp??l1=2&l2=1&intId=1561. Accessed April 29, 2009.
- Chan-Yeung M. Pathogenesis of occupational asthma. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 29, 2009.
- Tips to Remember: Occupational asthma. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. http://aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/occupationalasthma.stm. Accessed April 29, 2009.
- Malo J, et al. Occupational asthma. In: Adkinson N, et al: Middleton's Allergy: Principles and Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier. 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/134488541-3/0/1806/57.html?tocnode=56310176&fromURL=57.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05659-5..00053-X_1739. Accessed April 29, 2009.
- Smith AM, et al. Management of work-related asthma. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2009;123:551.
- Passalacqua G, et al. ARIA update: I - Systematic review of complementary and alternative medicine for rhinitis and asthma. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2006;117:1054.
- Steurer-Stey C. Complementary and alternative medicine in asthma: Do they work? Swiss Medicine Weekly. 2002;132:338.
- Hayes M, et al. Are any alternative therapies effective in treating asthma? The Journal of Family Practice. 2007;56:385.
- Horwitz R. Controlling asthma: The role of nutrition. Explore Journal of Science and Healing. 2005;5:393.
- Mainardi T, et al. Complementary and alternative medicine: Herbs, phytochemicals and vitamins and their immunologic effects. Journal of Allergy Clinical Immunology. 2009;123:283.
