Hi,

I have an IIB appeal for Occupational Asthma which is contested by the DWP. My client's claim comes under 'any other sensitising agent' but I cannot find any Comm Decisions relating to what would be considered to be a 'sensitising agent'.

My client has worked in a variety of employment situations, i.e. coal mines, building industry, timber industry, chemical industry and demolition industry.

Although there is no direct evidence to support this my feeling is that he would probably qualify for IIB on a variety of industrial injury diseases.. He is 64 years old and has the lungs of a 96 year old, (verified).

Any advice or assistance regarding Comm Decisions or other info would be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance.

Dave Daglish.

what does the medical report say?

Hi

Medical report says that he does not suffer from Occupational Asthma and has COPD. However he was initially diagnosed by his GP with asthma and attended an asthma clinic. This was then changed to COPD which he was informed by his GP was the same thing.

cHECK health and safety COSHH list it lists all the chemiacls and @risk/ precautions needed, as an ex miner myself many of the chemicals used in a mine are on that list

Hi

Thanks for the info will check it out today

Dave

COPD can behave like asthma but is usually caused by heavy smoking. It's not reversible with inhalers or nebulisers like normal asthme which is characterised by reversible spasm of the airway, usually in response to exposure to an irritant or allergen. It is essentially the same disease as emphysema or chronic bronchitis.
In COPD the narrowing of the airways is initially reversible and may be halted if smoking stops: in COPD it can become irreversible, so that bronchodilators like salbutamol ("blue inhalers") stop working. Until then it is probably hard to tell it from asthma.
Emphysema is the stage where the lungs lose theri elasticity and people often get a "barrel chest" as they inflate their lungs to try to get oxygen in.
What medication is he on? Ipatropium is often prescribed for COPD, as are steroids. When it gets really bad oxygen therapy is needed.

and the point of north wiltshire's post is that a miner can get IIDB for COPD ....

why GP should think they're the same thing is beyond me

(and why if i subscribe to a thread it doesn't work is also beyond me..)

claire - re subscribing to a thread ... email me, and we'll have a look .. cheers - shawn