Comparisons between subjects in the control and screened groups
| Control group (n=66) | Screened group (n=20) | |
| Sex (M/F) | 58 (87.9%)/8 (12.1%) | 18 (90%)/2 (10%) |
| Age (years) | 46.2±11.8 | 41.1±11.4 |
| Atopy | 35 (53.0%) | 14 (70%) |
| Smoking habits (S/ES/NS) | 12/30/24 (18.1%/45.5%/36.4%) | 3/8/9 (15%/40%/45%) |
| Duration of exposure (years) | 14.3±13.5 | 12.9±12.4 |
| Duration of exposure with symptoms (years) | 4.8±5.3 | 5.2±6.2 |
| Type of diisocyanate (HDI/MDI/TDI/others) | 40/11/12/3 (61%/17%/18%/4%) | 18/0/2/0 (90%/0%/10%/0%) |
| Body shop workers | 33 (50%) | 15 (75%) |
Atopy present if one or more skin reactions to a battery of 15 common inhalants by the prick method.
ES, ex-smoker; HDI, hexamethylene diisocyanate; MDI, diphenylmethane diisocyanate; NS, non-smoker; S, smoker; TDI, toluene diisocyanate.