Open AccessAssociation between respiratory symptom score and 30‐year cause‐specific mortality and lung cancer incidence
Author(s) -
Frostad A.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the clinical respiratory journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.789
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1752-699X
pISSN - 1752-6981
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-699x.2008.00084.x
Subject(s) - medicine , lung cancer , incidence (geometry) , pneumonia , stroke (engine) , population , hazard ratio , mortality rate , cause of death , disease , confidence interval , environmental health , mechanical engineering , physics , optics , engineering
Respiratory symptoms are among the main reasons why patients make contact with healthcare professionals and they are associated with several diseases. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between respiratory symptoms reported at one time and 30 years cause‐specific mortality and incidence of lung cancer in an urban Norwegian population. Materials and Methods: A total of 19 998 men and women, aged 15–70 years, were in 1972 selected from the general population of Oslo. They received a postal respiratory questionnaire (response rate 89%). All were followed for 30 years for end‐point mortality and for lung cancer. The association between respiratory symptoms, given as a symptom load, and end point of interest were investigated separately for men and women by multivariable analyses, with adjustment for age, occupational exposure to air pollution and smoking habits. Results: A total of 6710 individuals died during follow‐up. Obstructive lung diseases (OLDs) and pneumonia accounted for 250 and 293 of the total deaths, respectively. Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) accounted for 1572; stroke accounted for 653 of all deaths. Lung cancer developed in 352 persons during follow‐up. The adjusted hazard ratio for mortality from OLD and pneumonia, IHD and stroke increased in a dose–response manner with symptom score, more strongly for OLD and IHD than for pneumonia and stroke. Conclusions: Respiratory symptoms were positively associated with mortality from OLD, pneumonia, IHD and stroke, and incidence of lung cancer. This association was significant for mortality from OLD and IHD. Please cite this paper as: Frostad A. Association between respiratory symptom score and 30‐year cause‐specific mortality and lung cancer incidence. The Clinical Respiratory Journal 2008; 2: 53–58.