Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of the subjects
| Controls | Sugarcane cutters | |
|---|---|---|
| Individuals (N) |
30 |
23 |
| Mean age (± SD*) |
30.50 (5.5) |
31.00 ( 6.7) |
| Work hours, mean (± SD) |
46.33 (8.3) |
51.39 (3.9) |
| N** of Smokers (± SD) |
7 |
5 |
| N** Ex-smokers |
1 |
0 |
| Mean age for beginning cigarette smoking (± DP) |
17.00 (2.0) |
16.40 (2.3) |
| N Risk of inhalation of harmful substances*** (in earlier jobs) |
9 |
- |
| N Medication (Current) |
30 |
21 |
| No (%) |
26 (86.7) |
18 (85.8) |
| Yes (%)**** |
4 (13.3) |
3 (14.2) |
| N Diseases related to work |
30 |
23 |
| Yes (%)***** |
1 (3.3) |
1 (4.3) |
| No (%) | 29 (96.7) | 22 (95.7) |
SD* = Standard Deviation; N** = Number of subjects; ***Harmful substances: dust, smoke, gases and chemicals; ****Anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-muscarinic, antihypertensive and analgesic; *****1 control with wrist synovial tendinitis and 1 sugar cane cutter with muscle aches and cramps.
(−) Not applied to the cutter group.