Table 1 Baseline characteristics at 1 January 1973 and crude mortality rate (MR) per 100 000 person‐years from obstructive lung disease (OLD) and pneumonia of respondents during follow up for 30 years by sex, respiratory symptoms, occupational exposure, and smoking habits.

Characteristic	Total at baseline (n = 17678)		Deaths from OLD (n = 250)		Deaths from pneumonia (n = 293)
	N	%	n	MR	n	MR
Sex
Men	8147	46	146	74	107	55
Women	9531	54	104	35	186	66
Respiratory symptoms*
None	8696	49	36	16	143	64
Symptom score
1–3	6272	36	86	55	95	60
4–6	1966	11	62	137	30	66
⩾7	712	4	66	511	23	178
Groups
Cough symptoms	5732	32	175	129	106	78
Asthma‐like symptoms	6092	34	182	107	90	61
Moderate dyspnoea on exercise	2298	13	53	101	28	37
Severe dyspnoea on exercise	851	5	59	383	24	156
Occupational exposure†
Yes	3138	18	82	88	47	47
No	13513	76	143	35	210	53
Smoking habit
Never	6567	37	24	14	117	69
Former	2011	11	25	51	44	90
Current (g tobacco/day)
<10	2521	14	31	48	35	55
10–19	4399	25	107	99	59	55
⩾20	1800	10	56	135	25	60
Unknown	262	2	3	48	8	129

*32 persons did not answer any questions about respiratory symptoms.

†1027 persons did not answer this question.