Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study was done to examine the risk factors for the dyspnea of retired coal miners in Korea.
METHODS
Eight hundred and sixteen male workers who took the health examination for retired coal miners in the T hospital were recruited, in this study and their health examination records were employed to assess the risk factors for dyspnea. Both univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the relationship between known risk factors and the presence of dyspnea.
RESULTS
Variables in the univariate analysis, which showed a significant relationship with dyspnea were age(>or=60 years) (OR : 2.20, 95% CI : 1.63-3.00), work duration(>or=2 0 years) (OR : 1.67, 95% CI : 1.24-2.25), profusion of small opacity(>or=1/0) (OR : 1.81. 95% CI : 1.30-2.51), large opacity(>or=A) (OR : 2.19, 95% CI : 1.30-3.70), and the ratio of the distance between the start of the first division of the right and left main pulmonary arteries divided by the transverse diameter of the thorax (cor pulmonale index)(>or=0 . 3 6 ) (OR : 2.37, 95% CI : 1.77-3.17). The multivariate analysis using logistic regression analysis showed age(>or=60 years)(OR : 1.69, 95% CI : 1.28-2.21), smoking amount(>or=1 filters/day) (OR : 1.61, 95% CI : 1.06-2.45), no experience of having quit smoking (OR : 1.40 95% CI : 1.06-1.84), and the cor pulmonale index(>or=0.36)(OR : 1.75, 95% CI : 1.34-2.29) were associated with an increased risk for dyspnea.
CONCLUSIONS
These results suggests that the cor pulmonale index is the most significant risk factor in predicting dyspnea in retired coal miners. In addition, this study also revealed that workers aged 60 years or more or smokers were more likely to experience dyspnea as compared to those aged 60 years or less and nonsmokers.

• Keywords: Risk factors;Dyspnea;Retired coal miners