August 15, 2008
Did you know...?
Allergic diseases are the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in the United States.
August brings the beginning of ragweed season and with it another battle against sneezing, itchy eyes, runny noses and congestion. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) estimates that 36 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies. Ragweed is the No. 1 cause of fall allergies.
Allergic disorders are a chronic and highly prevalent condition in the general population and the workforce. Their effect on workers and corporate costs go beyond the direct cost of treatment, as the condition can lower a worker's productivity. It is estimated that about 12% of American working women and 10% of working men suffer from allergic disorders. These roughly 13 million workplace sufferers make allergic disorders as prevalent as more commonly recognized conditions, including back pain and hypertension. Estimates suggest nearly 4 million days of missed work each year are due to allergy symptoms.
The productivity loss connected to allergic disorders also includes a more insidious component than the absence from work. More likely than absence is the circumstance of workers being present at work but limited in their daily productivity because of the symptoms of allergic disorders (often referred to as Presenteeism). Compared with workers without allergies, employees with allergies who reported using no medication showed a 10% decrease in productivity. Treatment for allergic disorders may further diminish productivity. Older, first-generation antihistamines, and many over-the-counter remedies, are known to produce drowsiness and to impair cognitive and motor function. Studies have projected that the use of sedating antihistamines by affected workers could result in a 25% reduction in productivity for 2 weeks per year and a cost to US corporations and society of as much as $2.8 billion per year. This estimation did not include the additional cost of 1 lost workday per year due to allergic disorders, which if included, would raise the estimate by an additional $108 to $324 million.
Investigations of the effect of first-generation, sedating antihistamines have shown their negative impact on the performance of everyday tasks to be substantial. One study found that workers using sedating antihistamines had a 50% higher risk of on-the-job injury than control subjects. Another study found that driving impairment connected with a sedating antihistamine was worse than that connected with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.1%. (To read more studies regarding allergies and workplace productivity visit the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine web site at http://www.acoem.org/.)
Employers can help alleviate allergens at work by keeping the workplace smoke free, providing fresh air ventilation, not allowing pets in the office, avoiding using carpets and other synthetic surfaces that give off chemicals, cleaning up dust as much as possible, and encouraging employees to wash their hands frequently.
Using safe medications, employees can treat their allergies effectively and feel - and perform - better at work Treating allergies with antihistamines can cause sedation or lack of attention, and on the flip side decongestants can cause employees to feel nervous, anxious or inattentive. Employees with allergies should consult their primary care physician for a referral to an allergist for more individualized treatment of their allergies.
To learn more about allergies and to access a fall allergy guide, point your browser to: http://www.aaaai.org/.
*Please feel free to forward this information to any member of management in your company who would benefit from it.*
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