Dr Johanna Feary
Continuous laryngoscopy during provocation in the assessment of inducible laryngeal obstruction
Transient paradoxical closure of the larynx, occurring in the absence of any underlying structural or neurological defect, is a recognized cause of paroxysmal breathlessness and wheeze. This phenomenon, most commonly termed vocal cord dysfunction and more recently termed inducible laryngeal obstruction (ILO),1 is often misdiagnosed and mistreated as asthma.2, 3 This may be explained by the lack of a robust, accepted diagnostic methodology.4, 5
Dr Johanna Feary
Honorary Consultant in Occupational Lung Disease and Asthma
Jo is an Honorary Respiratory Consultant in occupational lung disease and asthma at Royal Brompton Hospital and Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College.
Her research is primarily focused on the respiratory heath of working populations including firefighters and individuals exposed to silica. She has been awarded funding to establish a UK Silicosis Registry. She is clinical advisor to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Respiratory Health (silicosis). She is a member of the Group of Occupational Respiratory Disease Specialists (GORDS) and recent Chair of the British Thoracic Society Occupational and Environmental Lung Disease Specialist Advisory Group (2021-2024).
- Qualifications: BMedSci, BM BS, MSc, MRCP, PhD
- See a list of recent publications by Dr Johanna Feary
- See Google scholar articles
- ORCID ID: 0000-0003-2903-6907
Environmental and occupational exposures in interstitial lung disease
Purpose of review
We highlight recent advances in the understanding of how environmental and occupational exposures increase the risk of developing interstitial lung disease (ILD), and how to evaluate a patient for potential exposures.
Recent findings
Exacerbation patterns in adults with asthma in England. A population-based study
Rationale: Asthma is heterogeneous and knowledge on exacerbation patterns is lacking. Previous studies have had a relatively short follow-up or focused on severe disease.
Objectives: To describe exacerbation patterns over a prolonged follow-up in a population that includes patients of all disease severity.
Follow-up survey of patients with occupational asthma
Health & Wellbeing At Work 2025 conference
Tue, 11 Mar 2025
Dr Jo Feary spoke at the Health & Wellbeing at Work conference on 11 March 2025 in Birmingham. They featured in the programme section "Hot topics in Occupational Lung Disease". Taken from the conference programme, "contemporary work-related risks to lung health in the UK will be summarised in a case-based presentation, taking into account challenges for occupational health professionals, employers and industry."
Read more about on the conference website.
Read more about education and training we provide.
Laboratory animal allergy is preventable in modern research facilities
Mortality risk associated with occupational exposures in people with small airways obstruction
Background
Small airways obstruction (SAO) has been associated with occupational exposures. Whether exposure to harmful occupational agents impacts the survival of people with SAO is unknown. Our aim was to estimate the mortality risk associated with occupational exposures among people with SAO.
Methods
Occupational contributions to Interstitial Lung Disease
- Globally, coal workers pneumoconiosis, silicosis, and asbestosis remain the most important pneumoconioses.
- Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and asbestosis can be challenging to differentiate clinically, and there is clear evidence for an occupational contribution to IPF.
- Bacterial contamination of metal working fluid has recently emerged as an important cause of occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
Occupational exposure to particulate matter and staff sickness absence on the London underground
The London Underground (LU) employs over 19,000 staff, some of whom are exposed to elevated concentrations of particulate matter (PM) within the network. This study quantified the occupational exposure of LU staff to subway PM and investigated the possible association with sickness absence (SA).
A job exposure matrix to quantify subway PM2.5 staff exposure was developed by undertaking measurement campaigns across the LU network. The association between exposure and SA was evaluated using zero-inflated mixed-effects negative binomial models.
