Demographics and respiratory characteristics of comparison groups at initial evaluation for designation of air pollution victim status
| Group A (n=48) | Group B (n=169) | Group C (n=119) | Group D (n=394) | p Value | Post hoc test | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 54.3±8.3 | 49.6±8.2 | 49.8±7.8 | 51.3±8.9 | <0.001 | b, c, f |
| Gender (male/female) | 35/13 | 66/103 | 81/38 | 90/304 | <0.001 | a, b, c, d, e, f |
| Height (cm) | 161.7±6.3 | 155.2±7.6 | 161.4±6.1 | 152.8±7.5 | <0.001 | a, b, d, e, f |
| Weight (kg) | 56.9±6.4 | 55.4±9.3 | 59.1±8.9 | 55.2±9.7 | <0.001 | b, f |
| BMI | 21.8±1.9 | 22.8±3.6 | 22.6±2.8 | 23.4±3.8 | <0.001 | a, b, d, e |
| FVC (L) | 3.37±0.79 | 3.04±0.79 | 3.49±0.76 | 2.94±0.68 | <0.001 | a, b, e, f |
| VC (%) | 105.5±18.7 | 103.5±18.5 | 108.3±15.5 | 107.6±17.3 | <0.05 | d, f |
| FEV1 (L) | 2.09±0.64 | 1.72±0.58 | 2.67±0.58 | 2.24±0.58 | <0.001 | a, b, c, d, f |
| FEV1/FVC (%) | 64.9±6.5 | 59.8±10.3 | 79.1±5.6 | 79.6±7.1 | <0.001 | a, c, d, e, f |
| Data of duration after certification (years) | 25.9±4.1 | 26.9±4.4 | 24.8±4.2 | 25.5±4.6 | <0.001 | d, f |
| Diagnosed pulmonary disease CB, BA, PE CB+BA CB+PE, BA+PE (no) | 32/10/1/5/0/0 | 52/98/3/11/3/2 | 98/14/0/7/0/0 | 249/99/0/46/0/0 | <0.001 | a, c, d, f |
| Unit score | ||||||
| Dyspnoea | ||||||
| 1 | 0 (0.0%) | 1(0.6%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | <0.001 | b, c, d, f |
| 2 | 0 (0.0%) | 4 (2.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 4 (1.1%) | ||
| 3 | 9 (18.8%) | 31 (18.3%) | 7 (5.9%) | 55 (15.8%) | ||
| 4 | 30 (62.5%) | 111 (65.7%) | 75 (63.0%) | 246 (70.5%) | ||
| 5 | 9 (18.8%) | 22 (13.0%) | 37 (31.1%) | 89 (25.5%) | ||
| Asthma attack | ||||||
| 1 | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (0.6%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (0.3%) | <0.001 | a, b, d, f |
| 2 | 0 (0.0%) | 8 (4.7%) | 1 (0.8%) | 13 (3.3%) | ||
| 3 | 7 (14.6%) | 51 (30.2%) | 11 (9.2%) | 66 (16.8%) | ||
| 4 | 14 (29.2%) | 76 (45.0%) | 30 (25.2%) | 139 (35.3%) | ||
| 5 | 27 (56.3%) | 33 (19.5%) | 77 (64.7%) | 175 (44.4%) | ||
| Cough and phlegm | ||||||
| 1 | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (1.2%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | <0.05 | a, b, d, f |
| 2 | 0 (0.0%) | 5 (3.0%) | 1 (0.8%) | 9 (2.3%) | ||
| 3 | 24 (50.0%) | 50 (29.6%) | 58 (48.7%) | 143 (36.3%) | ||
| 4 | 23 (47.9%) | 90 (53.3%) | 58 (48.7%) | 225 (57.1%) | ||
| 5 | 1 (2.1%) | 22 (13.0%) | 1 (0.8%) | 15 (3.8%) | ||
Figures are presented as mean±SD.
Differences in sample characteristics analysed using the Kruskal-Wallis test with Cochran-Armitage tests for significance post hoc tests: Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test for significance.
a: Group A vs group B.
b: Group C vs group D.
c: Group A vs group C.
d: Group B vs group D.
e: Group A vs group D.
f: Group B vs group C.
a, b: Current smokers/ex-smokers (groups A and C) vs never smokers (groups B and D).
c, d: Diagnosis of obstructive ventilatory defect (groups A and B) vs no obstructive ventilatory defect (groups C and D).
BA, bronchial asthma; BMI, body mass index; CB, chronic bronchitis; FEV1/FVC (%), forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity; PE, pulmonary emphysema; VC, vital capacity.