Respiratory symptoms and pulmonary functions of firefighters in Ogun State, Nigeria: A preliminary report.
Keywords:
Spirometry, firefighters, Medical Research Council's Committee Questionnaire (MRCQ)Abstract
Objectives: This study was done to determine the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and abnormal respiratory functions as well as the association between the respiratory functions and the duration of employment among fire fighters in Ogun State, Nigeria.
Methods: Forty seven (47) fire fighters were included in this study. Data was collected with MRCQ questionnaire and Spirometry was done with Spirolab III. Data collected was analyzed using IBM-SPSS 20.
Results: The mean age in this study was 44.09 ± 6.89 years. 43 (91.5%) were male while 4 (8.5%) were females. 46.8% and 48.9% had cough and breathlessness respectively. 44.7% had been firefighters for 2125 years while 70.2% work 21-30-hours/week. Spirometry was normal in 37(78.7%), obstructive in 8(17%) and restrictive in 2(4.3%).
Conclusion: The prevalence of respiratory symptoms was high in the firefighters in this study. Cough and breathlessness were the most reported symptoms. Majority of the firefighters had normal spirometry.
References
Guidotti TL, Clough VM. Occupational health concerns of firefighting. Annu Rev Public Health 1992; 13: 151–171.
Burgess JL, Nanson CJ, Bolstad-Johnson DM, Gerkin R, Hysong TA, Lantz RC, Sherrill DL, Crutchfield CD, Quan SF, Bernard AM, Witten ML. Adverse respiratory effects following overhaul in firefighters. J Occup Environ Med 2001 May; 43(5): 467–73.
Markowitz JS. Self-reported short- and longterm respiratory effects among PVC-exposed firefighters. Arch Environ Health 1989; 44: 30–33.
Greven FE, Krop EJ, Spithoven JJ, Burger N, Rooyackers JM, Kerstjens HA, et al. Acute respiratory effects in firefighters. Am J Ind Med.
0 1 2 ; 5 5 : 5 4 – 6 2 . https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.21012.
Miedinger D, Chajed PN, Stolz D, Gysin C, Wanzenried AB, Schindler C, Surber C, Bucher HC, Tamm M, Heuppi JD. Respiratory symptoms, atopy and bronchial hyperreactivity in professional firefighters. Eur Respir J. 2007 Sep; 30(3):538-44.
Peters JM, Theriault GP, Fine LJ, Wegman DH. Chronic effect of firefighting on pulmonary function. New Eng. J. Med., 1974, 291, 1320.
Musk AW, Peters JM, Wegman DH. Lung
Function in Fire Fighters, II: A Five Year Followup of Retirees. Am Rev Resp Dis, July 1977;(2):255-261
Alkali MB, Bamidele EO. The effect of cigarette smoking on pulmonary function and respiratory symptoms on Nigerian firefighters. Chest. 2008; 134(4_Meeting Abstracts):17003.
Isara AR, Egbagbe EE. Prevalence of
Respiratory Symptoms and Lung Function Status of Firefighters in Benin City, Nigeria: Borno Medical Journal; January-June
;16(1):1-8.
Adekunle A, Umanah I I, Ibe KE, Imonikosaye I
R: Statistical Analysis of Fire Outbreaks in Homes and Public Buildings in Nigeria: A Case Study of Lagos State. Intern J of Engineering
R e s e a r c h a n d A d v a n c e d Te c h .
doi:http://doi.org/10.31695/IJERAT.2018. 3294.
Miller MR, Crapo R, Hankinson J, Brusasco V, Burgos F, Casaburi R. General considerations for
lung function. Eur Respir J. 2005; 26:153-161.
Miller MR, Hankinson J, Brusasco V, Burgos F, Casaburi R, Coates A, Crapo R, Enright P, van der Grinten CPM, Gustafsson P, Jensen R, Johnson DC, Mcintyre N, Mckay R, Navajas D, Pederson OF, Pellegrino R, Viegi G, Wanger J.: Standardization of spirometry. Eur. Respir. J. 2005; 26(2):319–38.
Slattery F, Johnston K, Paquet C, Bennett H, Crockett A. The long-term rate of change in lung function in urban professional firefighters: a systematic review: BMC Pulmonary Medicine.
0 1 8 S e p 6 ; 1 8 ( 1 ) : 1 4 9 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-018-0711-8.
Gaughan DM, Piacitelli CA, Chen BT, Law BF,
Virji MA, Edwards NT, Enright PL, SchweglerBerry DE, Leonard SS, Wagner GR, Kobzik L, Kales SN, Hughes MD, Christiani DC, Siegel PD, Cox-Ganser JM, Hoover MD. Exposures and Cross-shift Lung Function Declines in Wildland Fire?ghters: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. 2014; 11(9): 591–603.
Herbert R, Moline J, Skloot G, Metzger K, Baron S, Luft B, Markowitz S, Udasin I,
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Research Journal of Health Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Research Journal of Health Sciences journal is a peer reviewed, Open Access journal. The Journal subscribed to terms and conditions of Open Access publication. Articles are distributed under the terms of Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). (http://creativecommons.org/licences/by-nc-nd/4.0). All articles are made freely accessible for everyone to read, download, copy and distribute as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.
