Description of the population according to year of birth
| Year of birth | ≤1945 | (1945–1955) | (1955–1965) | (1965–1975) | >1975 | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | 271 | 302 | 184 | 194 | 333 | – |
| Age at EGEA2, mean (SD) | 66.2 (5.2) | 54.2 (2.8) | 44.8 (3.0) | 34.2 (2.7) | 24.3 (2.8) | – |
| Number of 5-year periods, mean (SD) | 7.8 (2.2) | 7.0 (1.4) | 5.3 (1.2) | 3.2 (0.9) | 1.5 (0.6) | – |
| Asthma ever, % | 27.7 | 27.5 | 35.3 | 43.3 | 54.9 | <0.0001 |
| Age at asthma onset, mean (SD) | 31.9 (17.4) | 19.9 (16.7) | 18.4 (13.3) | 13.2 (9.5) | 6.0 (5.1) | <0.0001 |
| Gender, % men | 52.8 | 49.7 | 35.9 | 45.4 | 51.7 | 0.003 |
| Smoking status at EGEA2, % | ||||||
| Non-smoker | 50.9 | 46.4 | 50.0 | 50.5 | 51.4 | <0.0001 |
| Ex-smoker | 41.0 | 38.7 | 29.9 | 20.1 | 11.1 | |
| Current smoker | 8.1 | 14.9 | 20.1 | 29.4 | 37.5 | |
| Age at the first hire, mean (SD) | 18.3 (4.0) | 19.3 (4.0) | 19.5 (4.0) | 20.3 (3.0) | 19.3 (2.4) | <0.0001 |
| Lifetime occupational exposure, % | ||||||
| Non-exposed | 45.4 | 47.4 | 49.5 | 47.9 | 52.6 | 0.18 |
| Known asthmagens | 36.5 | 34.4 | 29.9 | 29.4 | 25.5 | |
| Irritants and/or low level of chemicals/allergens | 18.1 | 18.2 | 20.6 | 22.7 | 21.9 | |
| Exposure in the first 5-year period, % | ||||||
| Non-exposed | 54.2 | 53.3 | 53.8 | 51.5 | 53.5 | 0.83 |
| Known asthmagens | 28.8 | 28.5 | 26.1 | 26.3 | 24.6 | |
| Irritants and/or low level of chemicals/allergens | 17.0 | 18.2 | 20.1 | 22.2 | 21.9 | |
| Exposure in the last 5-year period, % | ||||||
| Non-exposed | 67.2 | 70.2 | 73.4 | 71.6 | 63.7 | 0.43 |
| Known asthmagens | 16.6 | 15.2 | 14.1 | 16.5 | 19.2 | |
| Irritants and/or low level of chemicals/allergens | 16.2 | 14.6 | 12.5 | 11.9 | 17.1 | |
EGEA, Epidemiological Study on the Genetics and Environment of Asthma