BACKGROUND: Diisocyanates are potent sensitizing agents and currently the most commonly identified cause of @entity7446 in industrialized countries. However, @entity20312 asthma is difficult to diagnose and exposure and host risk factors are unclear. Auto body shops, one of the most common @entity17287 (HDI) exposure settings, are particularly difficult to study due to their small size and episodic exposures. Surveillance studies of such workers are limited. OBJECTIVES: We have initiated a cross-sectional field epidemiologic study, Survey of Painters and Repairers of Auto bodies by Yale (SPRAY), to characterize the effects of @entity20312 exposures on actively employed auto body shop workers. Methods and Results We present here questionnaire, physiologic, immunologic, and exposure data on 75 subjects enrolled in the study. No overt cases of clinically apparent @entity20312 asthma were identified based on spirometry, @entity2710 challenge, peak flows, and symptoms. HDI-specific lymphocyte proliferation was present in 30% of HDI-exposed workers and HDI-specific IgG in 34% of HDI-exposed workers, but they were not associated. HDI-specific IgE was detected in two workers. HDI-specific lymphocyte proliferation, increased @entity2710 responsiveness, and symptoms of @entity764 and @entity1353 were more common in the most heavily HDI-exposed workers, the painters. More long-term follow-up of this cohort should clarify the significance of these HDI-specific immunologic responses, physiologic changes, and symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate the presence of HDI-specific immune responses in a large proportion of healthy HDI-exposed workers.

Subclinical immunologic and physiologic responses in XXXX -exposed auto body shop workers.

@entity17287 :: ('MESH:C015262', 'Chemical') :: ['hexamethylene diisocyanate'] @entity20312 :: ('CHEBI:53213', 'Chemical') :: ['diisocyanate'] @entity1353 :: ('MESH:D004417', 'Disease') :: ['shortness of breath'] @entity764 :: ('MESH:D013898', 'Disease') :: ['chest tightness'] @entity7446 :: ('MESH:D059366', 'Disease') :: ['occupational asthma'] @entity2710 :: ('MESH:D016210', 'Chemical') :: ['methacholine']
@entity17287 :: (MESH:C015262,Chemical) :: ['hexamethylene diisocyanate']
