Background: Nonasthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis (NAEB) is an important cause of chronic cough, since it is present in 10-15% of patients referred for specialist investigation. The syndrome is considered a variant of occupational asthma when it develops as a consequence of occupational exposure, hence it should be considered in the spectrum of work-related airway diseases.
Objectives and methods: The aim of this paper was to update and expand the previous reviews on the clinical and pathophysiological features of NAEB and analyze available data on the occupational causes of the disease. Literature on the topic between the years 1990 and 2010 was reviewed with a Med Line search.
Results: The disease is probably underdiagnosed and an occupational origin was demonstrated only in isolated cases, probably due to the rarity of the disease and the lack of systematic evaluation of bronchial inflammation.
Conclusions: In view of the current knowledge on this condition and the development of techniques to evaluate bronchial inflammation, occupational NAEB cannot be neglected any more and has been rightly included in the spectrum of occupational respiratory disorders.