TABLE 1.
Characteristics of the study population
| Control subjects | WTC Dust | Clinical referral | |
| Subjects n | 13 | 20 | 15 |
| Age years | 46±18 | 58±11* | 58±13 |
| Height m | 1.7±0.1 | 1.6±0.1 | 1.7±0.1 |
| Weight kg | 79.4±20.4 | 82.6±16.3 | 80.7±14.5 |
| BMI kg·m−2 | 27±6 | 32±7 | 28±4 |
| Inhalational exposure | |||
| Cigarette smoking (>5 pack-years) | 0 (0) | 0 (20) | 3 (15) |
| Environmental/work | 7 (13) | 20 (20) | 5 (15) |
| Comorbid conditions | |||
| Hypertension and/or atherosclerosis | 4 (13) | 8 (20) | 8 (15) |
| Musculoskeletal | 0 (13) | 0 (20) | 5 (15) |
| Oncologic | 3 (13) | 2 (20) | 3 (15) |
| Medications | |||
| ICS/LABA and/or LAMA | 0 (13) | 20 (20) | 7 (15) |
| SABA | 0 (16) | 20 (20) | 8 (15) |
Data are reported as mean±sd or n (%) unless otherwise indicated. WTC: World Trade Center; BMI: body mass index; ICS: inhaled corticosteroid; LABA: long-acting β-agonist; LAMA: long-acting muscarinic antagonist; SABA: short-acting β-agonist. *: p<0.05 versus control.