[Prevalence of obstructive airway disease in middle-age adults. Cross sectional study in three different occupations]

Medical management of COPD begins with an awareness of risk factors and identification of risk patients. To identify this patients, 179 healthy volunteers with no known obstructive airway disease (81 women, 98 men, 40,5 +/- 11,2 years) and three different occupations (43 factory workers, 33 community workers, mainly working outside and 113 office employees) participated in the cross sectional spirometry study. Demographic data concerning age, height and body weight were comparable. In the first two groups were more men and more smokers. After adjustment to sex, age and height smokers revealed significant lower data for FEV 1 (3,16 l vs. 3,44 l) and FEV 1 /IVC (74,5 % vs. 77,6 %) in the factory workers. Comparable data exists for smokers in the community workers for FEV 1 (3,21 l vs. 3,59 l) and FEV 1 /IVC (74,8 % vs. 79,6 %), but not for office employees (FEV 1 3,51 l vs. 3,54 l; FEV 1 /IVC 76,1 % vs. 78,4 %). Airway obstruction, defined by FEV 1 /IVC below 70 % could be identified in thirteen of 57 smokers (22,8 %) and in twelve of 122 non-smokers (9,8 %) or in 25 of all 179 volunteers (14 %). The influence of smoking was significant (P = 0,0123). As a consequence, first there is a need for an increased awareness and routine spirometry in ad-risk patients; second, education and smoking cessation programs have to be initiated.