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Table 4 Descriptive statistics of clinical biomarkers, by occupational exposure and diagnosis age (count and percentage or median and IQR)

From: Occupational exposures, smoking and airway inflammation in refractory asthma

 

Diagnosis age 30+, unexposed

Diagnosis age 30+, exposed

Diagnosis age <30, unexposed

Diagnosis age <30, exposed

Observed first visit

N = 14

N = 12

N = 32

N = 8

Age

14

63 (60-69)

12

64 (62-69)

32

53 (44-63)

8

46 (37-52)

Female

14

9 (64%)

12

4 (33%)

32

19 (59%)

8

2 (25%)

Currently Employed

14

6 (43%)

12

6 (50%)

32

24 (75%)

8

7 (88%)

Years at work

14

30 (30-35)

12

30 (20-30)

32

25 (19-33)

8

25 (15-26)

Ex-smoker

14

5 (36%)

12

2 (17%)**

32

7 (22%)

8

5 (63%)**

Smoking at home

14

2 (14%)

12

2 (17%)

32

3 (9%)

8

0 (0%)

Smoky places

14

7 (50%)

11

8 (73%)

32

20 (63%)

8

8 (100%)** X

Atopic

14

6 (43%)

12

9 (75%)

32

28 (88%)

8

7 (88%)XX AA

ICS dose/1000

14

2 (1.6-2.0)

12

2 (0.9-2.0)

31

2 (0.6-2.0)

8

2 (1.0-2.0)

%Macrophages w carbon inclusion

1

30

5

46 (46-48)

7

30 (20-52)

1

42

# Carbon inclusions/macrophage

1

2

5

4 (4.0-5.0)

7

3 (2-6)

1

4

Total number Carbon inclusions

1

57

5

184 (160-212)

7

107 (27-224)

1

186

Obs. multiple visits

N = 22

N = 20

N = 71

N = 14

FEV1% predicted

17

82 (59-88)

16

75 (64-84)

46

63 (48-79)

10

74 (67-83)X AA

FEV1/FVC

17

76 (64-80)

16

71 (67-77)

46

64 (56-69)

10

69 (63-71)XX AA

PD15

10

15 (12-29)

5

21 (19-34)

32

5 (1.1-8.6)

8

2 (1.3-6.5)XX AA

Dose response slope

14

1 (0.5-2.2)

11

0 (0.2-0.8)

41

3 (1.2-11.5)

9

6 (2.1-8.6)XX AA

Total cell # ×106/mL

21

3 (2.1-3.6)

20

6 (2.7-10.6)

69

3 (2.1-7.8)

14

3 (1.8-7.2)

Macrophages, %

22

51 (28-72)

20

28 (15-51)

71

44 (20-61)

14

44 (28-52)

Neutrophils, %

22

27 (14-40)

20

47 (37-74)

71

42 (27-72)

14

51 (36-67)XX

Lymphocytes, %

22

1 (0.0-2.0)

20

0 (0.0-1.1)

71

1 (0.3-2.0)

14

0 (0.0-1.3)

Eosinophils, %

22

1 (0.3-3.3)

20

2 (0.9-9.9)

71

1 (0.3-2.8)

14

1 (0.3-1.8)

Col. epithelial cells, %

22

6 (1.5-12.8)

20

3 (0.8-7.0)

71

3 (1.5-5.9)

14

4 (2.5-7.3)

Squamous cells, %

22

5 (1.5-11.3)

20

2 (0.9-4.4)

71

3 (1.0-6.1)

14

5 (1.2-9.5)

  1. Test of effect of exposure in each diagnosis age group: **significant P < 0.05. Fisher’s exact and rank-sum tests used.
  2. Test of effect of exposure and diagnosis age group: Xmarginally significant P < 0.10, XXsignificant P < 0.05. Fisher’s exact and Kruskal-Wallis tests used.
  3. Test of effect of diagnosis age group only: AAsignificant P < 0.05. Fisher’s exact and rank-sum tests used.