Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38861560›Full record

ArticlePloS one2024

Mortality risk associated with occupational exposures in people with small airways obstruction.

Valentina Quintero-Santofimio, Cosetta Minelli, James Potts, Roel Vermeulen, Hans J Kromhout, Ben Knox-Brown, Johanna Feary, Andre F S Amaral

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Small airways dysfunction: associated factors, clinical aspects and new perspectives.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Valentina Quintero-SantofimioNational Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-6351-2383
Cosetta MinelliNational Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
James PottsNational Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Roel VermeulenInstitute for Risk Assessment Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Hans J KromhoutInstitute for Risk Assessment Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-4233-1890
Ben Knox-BrownNational Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Johanna FearyNational Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Andre F S AmaralNational Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-0369-9449

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSmall airways obstruction (SAO) has been associated with occupational exposures. Whether exposure to harmful occupational agents impacts the survival of people with SAO is unknown. Our aim was to estimate the mortality risk associated with occupational exposures among people with SAO.

methodsWe used data from UK Biobank participants with SAO, defined as a ratio of forced expiratory volume in three seconds to forced expiratory volume in six seconds (FEV3/FEV6) below the lower limit of normal. We assigned lifetime occupational exposures to participants with available occupational histories using the ALOHA+ Job Exposure Matrix. Mortality data were provided by the National Death Registries. We used Cox regression to assess the association of all-cause mortality with lifetime occupational exposures (vapours, gases, dusts, fumes-VGDF; solvents; pesticides; metals), adjusting for potential confounders.

resultsThe 13,942 participants with SAO had a mean age of 56±7 years, 59% were females and 94.2% were of White ancestry. Overall, there were 457 deaths over a median follow-up of 12.8 years. A greater mortality risk was associated with exposure to VGDF, with hazard ratios of 1.32 (95%CI: 1.04-1.78) for low levels and 1.41 (95%CI: 1.11-1.78) for moderate levels of cumulative exposure. There was no evidence of association for the other occupational exposures.

conclusionLifetime occupational exposure to VGDF in people with SAO may have a detrimental effect on their survival. Future respiratory health surveillance programmes of people exposed to VGDF should consider assessment for SAO and focus on primary prevention through adequate exposure control.

Indexed as

Occupational ExposureAdultAgedAirway ObstructionFemaleForced Expiratory VolumeHumansMaleMiddle AgedProportional Hazards ModelsRisk FactorsUnited Kingdom

Identifiers

PMID38861560
PMCPMC11166274

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.