Galway study highlights health issues for farmers

The study also indicated that the chest problems suffered by so many farmers were not related to smoking or to the condition of ‘Farmer’s Lung’, often associated with handling mouldy or dusty hay.

Carried out by the Galway University Hospital/Saolta University Health Care Group, the study of over 400 farmers at the 2013 Ploughing Championships, again indicates that farming is far from a healthy profession.

The study also found evidence of ‘a strikingly high incidence’ of farmers being overweight with obesity a significant risk factor for asthma and obstructive lung disease.

“This observation [farmers tending to be over-weight] is concerning, given the recently described higher than average mortality and prevalence of cardiovascular disease in Irish farmers,” the study states.

Published in a recent edition of the Respiratory Medicine Journal, the study also found that there ‘was no significant difference’ in the numbers reporting respiratory symptoms between smokers and those who never smoked.

Galway IFA Chairman, Pat Murphy, said that the results of the study were worrying and probably represented a wake-up call for farmers in relation to the wearing of a proper mask when working in high risk environments whether it be sprays or dust.

“In many ways, farming is a very healthy occupation with an outdoor lifestyle but we now have to accept that it is also high risk,” he said.

He added that the findings of this latest study also were also in line with other recent reports indicating a problem with weight in the farming sector.

“Like all other working groups, we shouldn’t need any reminding that carrying extra weight is a major health issue and contributes also to chest and lung problems,” said Pat Murphy.

Professor Anthony O’Regan, Consultant Respiratory Physician at UHG, said that ‘remarkably’, almost two thirds of the farmers surveyed reported one or more chronic respiratory symptoms.

“Most were non-smokers (91%) – yet 13% had a pre-existing diagnosis of obstructive lung function. Unlike the non-farming population, obstruction on lung function testing was not associated with smoking but rather appeared to occur in those patients with symptoms or a prior diagnosis of asthma or hay-fever,” said Professor O’Regan.

He also pointed out that ‘Farmer’s Lung’ [an allergy caused by a reaction in the lungs to spores contained in mouldy hay] – previously felt to be common in Ireland – was reported by less than 1%.

Almost nine out of every ten farmers (89%) who took part in the study were over-weight, an observation described as ‘concerning’ in the report given the higher than average mortality rate and prevalence of cardiovascular [heart] disease.

One of the reasons for the high rate of respiratory problems could be a long standing exposure to airway irritants and inflammatory response triggers such as endotoxins [a poison releasing bacteria], fungal spores [possibly from mouldy hay], inorganic dusts and biological fumes.

Livestock farming – for whatever the reason – is also associated with higher rates of respiratory problems as compared to tillage and crop farmers. One of the conclusions of the study is that the high burden of lung disease is largely unrecognised.

“These results need to be considered in the context of high age-adjusted mortality rates in Irish farmers. Further studies are needed to more accurately determine the specific workplace exposures to account for our findings and to facilitate the development of preventative strategies,” the study concludes.