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Examination of work-related diseases among young people in Norway.

BACKGROUND
The hospital departments for occupational medicine and the National Institute of Occupational Health (STAMI) established a shared, anonymous patient register in 2009. This report describes the diagnoses, occupations and exposure factors that occur most frequently in the youngest patient group. This will reflect exposures in modern working life in particular, and thus produce important knowledge with regard to targeted prevention efforts.


MATERIAL AND METHOD
We have undertaken a descriptive analysis of 910 examinations of patients in the age group 20-29 years, performed in occupational medicine departments in Norway during the period 2010-17.


RESULTS
Examinations of patients aged 20-29 years accounted for 914 (8 %) of a total of 11 969 recorded patient examinations. We excluded four participants for whom information on their sex was missing. This age group encompassed 498 (55 %) men, compared to 75 % men in the total dataset. The most frequent diagnoses were asthma (187/910, 21 %), contact eczema (184/910, 20 %) and rhinitis (73/910, 8 %). The most frequent exposure factors were irritants/allergens (469/910, 52 %). The most common occupations were hairdresser (159/910, 17 %) and painter/varnisher (46/910, 5 %). Hairdresser was the predominant occupation among women (154/412, 37 %), while painter/varnisher (35/498, 7 %) and electrician (25/498, 5 %) predominated among men.


INTERPRETATION
Young patients who are examined in occupational medicine departments in Norway are most frequently registered with asthma or hand eczema. Hairdressers are especially exposed, indicating a special need for primary prevention in this occupation to prevent development of illness. In cases of asthma and hand eczema, doctors should be aware of the possibility that this might be occupationally related.