NEW YORK, May 08 (Reuters Health) - Even if they are nonsmokers and are not exposed to secondhand smoke, blue-collar workers have more respiratory problems than their white-collar counterparts, British researchers report.

In a study of 4,237 patients, daytime coughing (63%), breathlessness during exercise (56%) and nighttime coughing (48%) were the three most commonly reported respiratory symptoms.

Compared with professional workers, unskilled laborers were 2.5 times as likely to report severe symptoms, and skilled manual and semiskilled manual workers were about 1.4 times as likely to have severe respiratory problems, according to the report in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. This was true regardless of smoking status.

Not surprisingly, smokers and ex-smokers were more likely to have respiratory problems compared with nonsmokers.

"We found both smoking and social class were linked separately with the severity of respiratory symptoms," conclude Paul M. Trinder and colleagues at Keele University, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, UK.

It is not clear exactly why the laborers had more severe breathing problems, but such individuals may not have the same access to healthcare as professionals, the authors note. It is also possible that they are more frequently exposed to environmental pollution at home or on the job.

SOURCE: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2000;54:340-343.

http://www.doctorbob.com/ - 05/10/2000