Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, by presence of emphysema on computed tomography, 2000–2002.
| Emphysema on computed tomography | ||
|---|---|---|
| Absent | Present | |
| Number of participants | 6233 | 538 |
| Age, years | 62.1 (10.3) | 63.1 (10.0) |
| Males | 2902 (47%) | 290 (54%) |
| Race | ||
| White | 2365 (38%) | 241 (45%) |
| African-American | 1703 (27%) | 169 (31%) |
| Hispanic/Latino | 1407 (23%) | 83 (15%) |
| Asian | 758 (12%) | 45 (8%) |
| Smoking status | ||
| Never | 2915 (47%) | 157 (29%) |
| Former | 2459 (39%) | 287 (53%) |
| Current | 859 (14%) | 94 (17%) |
| Pack-years | 14 (3, 32) | 19 (6, 42) |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 28.2 (5.3) | 29.9 (7.3) |
| Education | ||
| Less than high school | 1147 (18%) | 75 (14%) |
| High school | 1139 (18%) | 95 (18%) |
| Some college but no degree | 1003 (16%) | 102 (19%) |
| Associate/technical degree | 770 (12%) | 53 (10%) |
| Bachelor’s degree | 1062 (17%) | 107 (20%) |
| Graduate degree | 1112 (18%) | 106 (20%) |
| Site | ||
| Forsyth County, North Carolina | 994 (16%) | 75 (14%) |
| Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, New York | 1014 (16%) | 86 (16%) |
| Baltimore County, Maryland | 929 (15%) | 133 (25%) |
| Minneapolis, Minnesota | 963 (15%) | 99 (18%) |
| Chicago, Illinois | 1074 (17%) | 88 (16%) |
| Los Angeles County, California | 1259 (20%) | 57 (11%) |
| Physician diagnosis of emphysema | 69 (1%) | 34 (6%) |
| Physician diagnosis of asthma | 561 (9%) | 99 (18%) |
| Pre-bronchodilator airflow measures | ||
| FEV1, L | 2.38 (0.72) | 2.38 (0.86) |
| FEV1/FVC | 0.76 (0.08) | 0.68 (0.13) |
| Restrictive ventilatory defect | 309 (9%) | 12 (4%) |
| Agatston score | 0 (0, 82) | 11 (0, 149) |
| Percent emphysema | 2.6 (1.1, 4.8) | 12.2 (8.9, 15.7) |
Emphysema on computed tomography defined as percent emphysema greater than the upper limit of normal according to reference equations. Data are n, n/N (%), mean (SD), or median (IQR). Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding. FEV1 = forced expiratory volume in one second. FVC = forced vital capacity. Airflow obstruction defined as FEV1/FVC > 0.7. Pack-years enumerated among ever-smokers only. Pre-bronchodilator airflow measures are calculated only among the 3,830 participants who underwent spirometry in 2004–06. For 13 participants with current smoking, reference equations for the upper limit of normal could not be calculated due to missing smoking intensity data; nonetheless, these participants were included in analyses using the exposure of continuous percent emphysema.