Characteristics of the study population
| Asthmatic workers (n = 20) | Healthy workers (n = 15) | Non-exposed controls (n = 10) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-smokers (n = 8) | Smokers (n = 12) | Non-smokers (n = 8) | Smokers (n = 7) | Non-smokers (n = 10) | |
| *Data are presented as median (range). | |||||
| FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 second; % pred, percentage of predicted value; FVC, forced vital capacity. | |||||
| Age (years)* | 35 (27–49) | 40 (32–59) | 36 (31–58) | 43 (32–49) | 24 (21–44) |
| FEV1 % pred* | 91 (75–120) | 90 (73–111) | 108 (90–135) | 105 (85–124) | 112 (81–124) |
| FEV1/FVC %* | 78 (61–82) | 67 (59–79) | 80 (71–87) | 75 (71–84) | 81 (74–90) |
| Inhaled corticosteroids (n) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inhaled β2 agonist (n) | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Duration of exposure (years)* | 14 (4–28) | 11 (8–25) | 14 (13–25) | 19 (13–24) | 0 |
| Duration of symptoms (years)* | 10 (1–22) | 11 (1–18) | – | – | – |
| Latency period (years)* | 7 (1–13) | 7 (0.5–13) | – | – | – |
| Relocated subjects (n) | 3 | 7 | – | – | – |