Abstract
Asthma can develop at any time during a person’s life, even without a history of allergies or asthma; at least 15% of adult asthma cases may be work-related, according to the American Thoracic Society. But nurses and other health care workers don’t expect to get sick from work and often don’t make the connection between their work and their symptoms - nor do their primary care providers. Asthma among health care workers has not been well recognized, with the exception of latex-associated asthma. Nonetheless, occupational asthma should be suspected whenever a working adult is diagnosed.