Chest
Original ResearchOccupational and Environmental Lung DiseasesInflammatory Biomarkers Predict Airflow Obstruction After Exposure to World Trade Center Dust
Section snippets
Study Design and Participants
The study cohort was derived from subjects (N = 1,720) entering SPE between October 1, 2001, and March 10, 2008,15 if they met the following criteria: never smokers (consistently reported not smoking on all health screens); male; had reliable National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) normative data for predicted FEV1; had post-September 11, 2001, FDNY-Bureau of Health Services pulmonary function test (PFTs) within 200 days of September 11, 2001; and had pre-September 11, 2001,
Participants
This nested case-control study was drawn from a population of 801 never smokers with normal pre-September 11, 2001, PFTs. Derivation of baseline cohort, cases, and control subjects from the cohort that received SPE is described in Figure 1. Control subjects had similar FEV1 at MME when compared with the larger never smoker baseline cohort (n = 801) and to the original SPE cohort (n = 1,720). Airflow obstruction case and control subjects had similar WTC exposure; time from September 11, 2001, to
Discussion
This study was designed to identify risk factors of susceptibility to WTC-related airflow obstruction early in the disease process. We measured biomarkers in blood from the first post-September 11, 2001, monitoring evaluation done within 6 months of exposure and used subsequent lung function to define disease status. Case subjects had FEV1 less than LLN at pulmonary evaluation within 6.5 years of September 11, 2001, whereas control subjects had FEV1 greater than or equal to LLN. From the first
Acknowledgments
Author contributions: Drs Nolan and Weiden had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.
Dr Nolan: contributed to study design; data collection and analysis; manuscript writing and preparation; and reviewing, editing, and approving the manuscript.
Dr Naveed: contributed to data collection and analysis; and reviewing, editing, and approving the manuscript.
Ms Comfort: contributed to data collection and
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Funding/Support: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [Grants K23HL084191 (Dr Nolan), K24A1080298 (Dr Weiden), UL1 RR029893, T32-ES007267 (Drs Naveed and Ferrier), U01CA008617, RO1HL090316 (Dr Rom), and 1UL1RR029893 (New York University, Clinical and Translational Science Institute)] and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [Grants U10-OH008243, U10-OH008242 (Dr Prezant)].