Sputum Cytopathological Findings in Pig Farmers

Manifestações respiratórias e doenças de vias aéreas: prevalência e fatores de risco em suinocultores de Braço do Norte, Santa Catarina

“…The prevalence of cough, defined as any type of cough, among pig farmers in Braço do climates, cause a greater concentration of exposure to pollutants. The mean work time spent in the pigsties was similar to that found in the literature, (18) and the length of employment presented exactly the same mean as that reported by some other authors. (19) In the same context, in Braço do Norte the confirmation of the acute symptoms (69%) also demonstrates the regional and environmental characteristics influencing the outcomes.…”

“…(5,7,9) However, in the present study, the prevalence of chronic bronchitis among those who also engaged in other agricultural activities was approximately 7%, a much lower rate than that found in other studies. (17,18) The association between smoking and higher prevalence of cough, dyspnea, and expectoration is in accordance with the literature, in which it is suggested that smoking is the major promoter and an additive factor in the development of respiratory manifestations and diseases. (24,25) In the present study, the positive association found between the use of wood-burning stoves and respiratory signs/ symptoms only confirms the known risk of passive exposure to smoke.…”

“…In agreement with what has been reported in other studies, in Braço do Norte, no association was found between respiratory manifestations and the distance from the residence to the farm. The use of disinfectants and the manual feeding of the animals, as already reported by other authors, (17,18) increases the chances of developing disease. Exposure to the animal chow would increase the risk, since it generates more dust and consequently a greater accumulation of endotoxins.…”

“…The prevalence of dyspnea and wheezing reported in other studies was two times higher than that found in the present study, whereas the opposite occurred for expectoration. (16,18) Despite the fact that our findings regarding the clinical diagnosis of asthma are within the spectrum of the variation in the literature, the use of different diagnostic criteria in the various studies precludes the drawing of any conclusions. However, similar to the findings of some other authors, (19) the prevalence of asthma in the pig farmers in Braço do Norte was lower than what is expected among non-pig farmers, which could be explained by vocational selection, in which sick individuals would not choose or be selected for such a task.…”

“…One group of authors (20) drew attention to those asymptomatic pig farmers who presented spirometric alterations, demonstrating greater sensitivity when this method was used for detecting cases. Great variations in the prevalence of respiratory signs and symptoms and of the diagnosis of respiratory diseases (16,18,19) might be explained by different profiles of the various systems employed in raising the animals, as well as by the different diagnostic criteria applied. In the international literature, we found that 96% of the farms are closed, with appropriate ventilation and built with concrete and metal.…”