Table 2.
Frequency of Main Comorbidities in the Different Exposure-Defined Subgroups
| Exposure to Organic Dusts | p | Exposure to Both Tobacco and Organic Dusts |
p | Exposure to Tobacco Smoking | p | Controls Without Exposure |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COPD | Controls | COPD | Controls | COPD | Controls | |||||
| (n = 72) | (n = 1555) | (n = 75) | (n = 521) | (n = 119) | (n = 1246) | (n = 1077) | ||||
| Charlson comorbidity index* | 1.13 ± 0.44 | 0.17 ± 0.48 | < 0.0001 | 1.15 ± 0.42 | 0.23 ± 0.56 | < 0.0001 | 1.35 ± 0.63a | 0.31 ± 0.65 | < 0.0001 | 0.22 ± 0.56 |
| COTE index | 0.15 ± 0.78 | 0.28 ± 1.08 | 0.41 ± 1.15a | |||||||
| Hypertension | 6 (8) | 293 (19) | < 0.05 | 16 (21)a | 99 (19) | NS | 18 (15) | 245 (20) | NS | 194 (18) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 1 (1) | 54 (4) | NS | 4 (4) | 21 (4) | NS | 10 (8)a | 95 (8) | NS | 52 (5) |
| Dyslipidemia | 4 (6) | 157 (10) | NS | 7 (9) | 59 (11) | NS | 9 (8) | 134 (11) | NS | 109 (10) |
| Coronary artery disease | 0 | 28 (2) | NS | 3 (4) | 21 (4) | NS | 7 (6)a | 64 (5) | NS | 31 (3) |
| Chronic heart failure | 0 | 2 (0.1) | NS | 0 | 2 (0.4) | NS | 0 | 2 (0.2) | NS | 2 (0.2) |
| Valvulopathy | 0 | 14 (1) | NS | 1 (1) | 1 (0.2) | NS | 2 (2) | 14 (1) | NS | 13 (1) |
| Atrial fibrillation | 0 | 31 (2) | NS | 3 (4) | 13 (3) | NS | 1 (1) | 23 (2) | NS | 17 (2) |
| Pacemaker | 0 | 5 (0.3) | NS | 0 | 0 | NS | 1 (1) | 2 (0.2) | NS | 1 (0.1) |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 1 (1) | 20 (1) | NS | 3 (4) | 5 (1) | < 0.05 | 3 (3) | 17 (1.4) | NS | 11 (1) |
| Peripheral artery disease | 0 | 2 (0.1) | NS | 0 | 3 (0.6) | NS | 3 (3) | 18 (1) | NS | 1 (0.1) |
| Thromboembolic disease | 0 | 17 (1) | NS | 1 (1) | 5 (1) | NS | 3 (3) | 19 (2) | NS | 17 (2) |
| Gastroesophageal reflux | 1 (1) | 58 (4) | NS | 1 | 17 (3) | NS | 7 (6) | 72 (6) | NS | 58 (5) |
| Thyroid disorder | 2 (3) | 61 (4) | NS | 2 (3) | 21 (4) | NS | 9 (8) | 86 (7) | NS | 97 (9) |
| Osteoporosis | 2 (3) | 15 (1) | NS | 0 | 0 | NS | 2 (2) | 7 (1) | NS | 17 (2) |
| Chronic kidney disease | 0 | 3 (0.2) | NS | 0 | 1 (0.2) | NS | 0 | 2 (0.2) | NS | 1 (0.1) |
| Liver disease | 0 | 1 (0.1) | NS | 0 | 2 (0.4) | NS | 0 | 4 (0.3) | NS | 1 (0.1) |
| Cancer, leukemia or lymphoma | 3 (4) | 32 (2) | NS | 0 | 17 (3) | NS | 5 (4) | 47 (4) | NS | 28 (3) |
| Connective tissue disease | 0 | 26 (2) | NS | 0 | 15 (3) | NS | 1 (1) | 10 (1) | NS | 18 (2) |
| Anxiety-depression syndrome | 0 | 46 (3) | NS | 1 (1) | 9 (2) | NS | 7 (6)a | 69 (6) | NS | 66 (6) |
| Neurodegenerative disorder | 0 | 5 (0.3) | NS | 0 | 0 | NS | 0 | 3 (0.2) | NS | 9 (1) |
| Epilepsy | 1 (1) | 6 (0.4) | NS | 1 (1) | 2 (0.4) | NS | 2 (2) | 3 (0.2) | < 0.05 | 4 (0.4) |
| OSAS | 0 | 2 (0.1) | NS | 0 | 1 (0.2) | NS | 0 | 1 (0.1) | NS | 1 (0.1) |
Notes: Data are presented as mean ± SD or number (percentage of total). *Non-age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index; ap < 0.05 vs organic dust COPD (Bonferroni correction).
Abbreviations: COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; COTE, COPD specific comorbidity test; OSAS, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.