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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: BACKGROUND, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Adult, Air Pollutants, Occupational, Airway Obstruction, Aluminum Compounds, Aluminum Oxide, Asthma, Cross-Sectional Studies, Dust, Eosinophilia, Eosinophils, Female, Fluorides, Forced Expiratory Volume, Humans, Immunologic Factors, Intradermal Tests, Leukocyte Count, Male, Middle Aged, Occupational Diseases, Odds Ratio, Smoking, Sodium Fluoride, Statistics as Topic, Vital Capacity.
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Are blood eosinophils in workers with aluminum potroom asthma increased to higher levels in non-smokers than in smokers? Context: Aluminum potroom asthma (PA) has been described in several reports. This study aimed to investigate the association between blood eosinophils and PA. In a cross-sectional study, 338 workers were examined as follows: spirometry, blood eosinophils, skin prick test, and work exposure measurements. They also completed a questionnaire on respiratory symptoms, smoking, allergy, and duration of work exposure. The odds ratio for PA was 4.2 (95% confidence interval 1.5-9.7) for workers with eosinophils > or =400 x 10(6) cells/L compared with workers with eosinophils <200 x 10(6) cells/L. In non-smokers, the number of eosinophils was 177 x 10(6) cells/L (P < 0.001) higher among workers with PA than asymptomatic workers, whereas the corresponding difference among current smokers was only 63 x 10(6) cells/L (P = 0.03).
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The prevalence of PA was positively associated with blood eosinophils. An attenuation of the blood eosinophil increase was observed in smoking asthmatics, suggesting an immune-modulating effect of smoking. Final Decision: yes