Occupational Medicine

Abstract

November 2005

Section Clinical Essentials

VI Occupational Medicine

Linda Rosenstock, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P.
Dean, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Public Health

Mark R. Cullen, M.D.
Professor of Medicine and Public Health and Director, Occupational and Environmental Medicine Program, Yale University School of Medicine

Awareness of the impact of the work environment on health has increased dramatically in the past two decades. Common clinical problems, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and respiratory irritation and allergy, are increasingly being related to physical, chemical, and biologic hazards at work. This chapter discusses some of the most common occupational disorders diagnosed in industrialized countries, as well as their known or suspected causes. Laboratory testing and data gathering provide the best clues for the diagnosis of occupational diseases, but recognition of these conditions requires the physician to ask appropriate questions during the medical history. The steps for a clinical evaluation of a patient with suspected occupational disease are discussed. Tables list established occupational carcinogens and the common occupational hazards for which there are widely available biologic tests of exposure. This chapter contains 77 references.

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