Table 2 Factors associated with mean annual decline in FEV1 (crude associations).
| Variables (baseline values) | Mean (SD) FEV1 decline (ml/year) | p value |
|---|---|---|
| Sex | ||
| Male | −34.2 (35.2) | <0.001 |
| Female | −25.5 (27.5) | |
| Age (years) | ||
| ⩽25 | −22.2 (26.4) | 0.007 |
| 26–30 | −20.8 (28.9) | |
| 31–35 | −29.4 (26.2) | |
| 36–40 | −32.1 (30.1) | |
| >40 | −33.6 (36.1) | |
| Smoking status | ||
| Never | −29.7 (30.1) | 0.16 |
| Former | −28.5 (33.0) | |
| Moderate (<20 cigs/day) | −27.2 (22.5) | |
| Heavy (⩾20 cigs/day) | −37.9 (46.2)* | |
| FEV1 (l/s)† | ||
| 1st tertile | −21.8 (34.5) | <0.001 |
| 2nd tertile | −30.1 (28.9) | |
| 3rd tertile | −37.6 (30.1) | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | ||
| Underweight (<20) | −23.6 (35.0) | 0.004 |
| Normal (20–24.9) | −29.7 (28.6) | |
| Overweight (25–29.9) | −34.3 (38.9) | |
| Obese (⩾30) | −46.9 (27.7) | |
| LDL cholesterol (g/l)‡ | ||
| 1st tertile | −24.3 (31.2) | 0.04 |
| 2nd tertile | −31.8 (32.2) | |
| 3rd tertile | −32.4 (32.0) |
*Heavy smokers v any other status (p for comparison = 0.045).
†Tertile limits for FEV1: 1.60–3.125, 3.125–4.025, 4.025–6.02 l/s.
‡Tertile limits for LDL cholesterol concentration: 1.12–1.875, 1.875–2.295, 2.295–3.94 g/l.