Comparison of mean (SEM)* levels of systemic inflammatory markers at baseline, stratified by exposure and smoking status
| Exposure status | Controls (n = 13) | Welders (n = 24) | p value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-reactive protein, mg/l | 2.79 | (0.60) | 2.13 | (0.38) | 0.4 |
| Fibrinogen, mg/dl | 281 | (17) | 286 | (11) | 0.8 |
| White blood cells, ×103/μl | 6.3 | (0.5) | 7.4 | (0.3) | 0.07 |
| Absolute neutrophils, ×103/μl | 3.8 | (0.4) | 4.5 | (0.2) | 0.1 |
| Relative neutrophils, % | 58 | (2) | 59 | (2) | 0.7 |
| Smoking status | Non-smokers (n = 13) | Smokers (n = 24) | p value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *To account for repeated measurements, mean (SEM) levels were calculated using mixed models after adjusting for centred age. | |||||
| C-reactive protein, mg/l | 2.47 | (0.40) | 2.07 | (0.55) | 0.6 |
| Fibrinogen, mg/dl | 276 | (11) | 300 | (15) | 0.2 |
| White blood cells, ×103/μl | 6.3 | (0.3) | 8.5 | (0.4) | <0.001 |
| Absolute neutrophils, ×103/μl | 3.7 | (0.2) | 5.4 | (0.3) | <0.001 |
| Relative neutrophils, % | 57 | (2) | 63 | (2) | 0.05 |