Occupational exposures and longitudinal lung function decline.
BACKGROUND
Few longitudinal studies have been conducted on occupational exposure and lung function. This study investigated occupational dust exposure effects on lung function and whether genetic variants influence such effects.


METHODS
The study population (1,332 participants) was from the Framingham Heart Study, in which participant lung function measures were available from up to five examinations over nearly 17 years. Occupational dust exposures were classified into "more" and "less" likely dust exposure. We used linear mixed effects models for the analysis.


RESULTS
Participants with more likely dust exposure had a mean 4.5 mL/year excess loss rate of FEV1 over time. However, occupational dust exposures alone or interactions with age or time had no significant effect on FEV1 /FVC. No statistically significant effects of genetic modifications in the different subgroups were identified for FEV1 loss.


CONCLUSIONS
Occupational dust exposures may accelerate the rate of FEV1 loss but not FEV1 /FVC loss.
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
Shu-Yi
SY
Liao
Xihong
X
Lin
David C
DC
Christiani
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004391:Dust; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000145:classification; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology; D013147:Spirometry; D014797:Vital Capacity
D004391:Dust
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; environmental health; environmental lung disease; forced expiratory volume in one second; job exposure matrix; occupational health; occupational respiratory disease