Socioeconomic status is positively associated with percent emphysema on CT scan: The MESA lung study.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale and objectives

Higher socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with lower respiratory mortality and better lung function, but whether a similar gradient exists for computed tomography (CT) measures of subclinical emphysema is unknown.

Materials and methods

The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) recruited African-American, Chinese, Hispanic, and white participants, ages 45 to 84 years, without clinical cardiovascular disease, from six US sites between 2000 and 2002. The MESA Lung Study assessed percent emphysema, defined based on the proportion of pixels below an attenuation threshold of 910 HU from lung windows of cardiac CT scans. Generalized linear models were adjusted for demographic characteristics, height, body mass index, history of respirator

SUBMITTER: Lovasi GS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3038582 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature