Table 1 Main characteristics of participants
From: Optimizing diagnostic tests for persulphate-induced respiratory diseases
| Hairdressers (n = 19) | Symptomatic controls (n = 12) | Healthy controls (n = 40) | P valueα | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age, years (SD) | 31 (10.5) | 21 (2.6) | 35 (12.9) | 0.002 |
| BMI, mean (SD) | 22.5 (3.8) | 22.4 (3.4) | 24.7 (4.3) | 1.000 |
| Sex (% female) | 19 (100) | 7 (58) | 43 | 0.02 |
| Smoking status, n (%) | ||||
| Smoker | 7 (37) | 5 (42) | – | 0.79 |
| Never smoker | 12 (63) | 7 (58) | – | |
| Atopic dermatitis, n (%) | 3 (16) | 6 (50) | 0 (0) | 0.06 |
| Total IgE, mean (SD) | 58.3 (76) | 156.5 (202) | 0.22 | |
| Atopya (%) | 6 (32) | 10 (83) | 0.009 | |
| FeNO ≥ 25 ppb, n (%) | 3 (16) | 5 (42) | 0.20 | |
| FeNO ≥ 50 ppb, n (%) | 1 (5.2) | 3 (25) | ||
| Lung function, mean (SD) | ||||
| % FEV1 | 101.7 (9.7) | 106.6 (14.8) | 0.48 | |
| % FVC | 105.3 (8.7) | 116.8 (14.1) | 0.025 | |
| FEV1/FVC | 84.8 (7.6) | 78.9 (6.6) | 0.43 | |
| Methacholine test | ||||
| BHR, n (%) | 5 (26) | 7 (58) | 0.13 | |
| Asthma medication, n (%) | ||||
| None | 12 (63) | 0 (0) | ||
| SABA | 3 (16) | 7 (58) | ||
| SABA + low dose ICS | 1 (5) | 3 (25) | ||
| SABA + medium dose ICS | 1 (5) | 2 (17) | ||
| SABA + LABA/ICS | 1 (5) | 0 (0) | ||
| SABA + LTRA | 1 (5) | 0 (0) | ||
| Rhinitis medication, n (%) | ||||
| None | 13 (68) | 2 (17) | ||
| OA | 2 (11) | 8 (67) | ||
| INS | 1 (5) | 1 (8) | ||
| OA + INS | 2 (11) | 1 (8) | ||
| OA + antihistamine eye drops | 1 (5) | 0 (0) | ||
| Work-related symptoms, n (%) | ||||
| Rhinitis symptoms | 1 (5) | – | ||
| Asthma symptoms | 1 (5) | – | ||
| Both | 17 (90) | – | ||
| Trigger of symptoms, n (%) | ||||
| Bleaching products | 19 (100) | – | ||
| Hair dye | 9 (49) | – | ||
| Hair spray | 4 (21) | – | ||
| Permanent solution | 3 (16) | – | ||
| Perfume | 3 (16) | – | ||
| Positive stop/resume test, n (%) | 16 (84) | – | ||