Late Breaking Abstract - Farmer's Lung Disease in a cohort of British agricultural workers

Background: Farmer’s Lung Disease (FLD) remains one of the most commonly reported causes of occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis in Europe. Aims and objectives: The aim of this study was to provide novel data on the prevalence and demographic risk factors of FLD in a large cohort of British agricultural workers. Methods: Farmers were identified from the baseline survey of the PIPAH cohort (Prospective Investigation of Pesticide Applicators’ Health). The demographics of workers, who self-reported a doctor diagnosis of FLD, were compared to the remainder of the cohort. Results: Questionnaire data was available for 5115 current or former farmers, representing a cumulative total of over 210,000 years of farming practice. 26 farmers self-reported a diagnosis of FLD, representing a cohort prevalence of ~5 per 1000. Age of diagnosis of FLD was very variable with a median of 35 years (range 16-62). There were no significant demographic differences between those with and without FLD in terms of gender, smoking status, or years employed in the farming industry. The average age of workers with FLD was however significantly greater than for those without FLD. Although most had worked on a mixture of farm types, workers with FLD were more likely to report only having lived on an animal versus cereal production farm. None of those with FLD reported being unable to work due to their condition. Conclusions: This study provides the first prevalence data on FLD in Britain for 40 years. In this cohort (representing over 1% of British farmers) the prevalence was similar to that reported recently from other countries. If this cohort is representative of the wider farming community, there may be between 2-3000 workers with FLD in Britain.