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Document ID (ISN)112238
CIS number 11-0817
ISSN - Serial title 0962-7480 - Occupational Medicine
Year 2011
Convention or series no.
Author(s) Heathcote K., Harris E.C., Brewster V., Nevel M.A., Coggon D.
Title Skin disease in sheep farmers
Bibliographic information 2011, Vol.61, p.515-517. 3 ref.
Abstract An unusual inflammation of the pinna has been reported to occur in some sheep farmers at the time of lambing. The objective of this study was to explore the prevalence of this disorder and its possible causal associations. While on attachment to sheep farms during lambing, veterinary students used a standardized questionnaire to interview a sample of farmers about their work and about symptoms of skin inflammation in their hands, face and ears. Interviews were completed by 76 (67%) of the farmers approached. Among 74 farmers who had carried out lambing, 3 had experienced temporally related ear symptoms, all on multiple occasions. No farmers with ear symptoms had ever been involved in calving or farrowing, and no ear symptoms were reported in relation to shearing or dipping sheep. There was also an excess of hand symptoms related to lambing outdoors (24% of those who had done such work) and indoors (also 24%) compared with other farming activities. The findings suggest that temporally related ear inflammation occurs in at least 1% of farmers who carry out lambing but not in association with the farming activities. Lambing appears to be associated also with hand inflammation, but the pathology may differ from that in the pinna.
Descriptors (primary) United Kingdom; inflammations; skin diseases; ear; livestock rearing
Descriptors (secondary) symptoms; subjective assessment; questionnaire survey; veterinary services
Document type D - Periodical articles
Subject(s) Agriculture, fishing, animal husbandry
Occupational pathology
Broad subject area(s) Occupational medicine, epidemiology
Browse category(ies) Livestock rearing
Skin diseases