Table 2.
Patients' characteristics and quality of life scores: 395 middle-aged male smokers.
| Characteristics | Mean (SD) or % |
|---|---|
| Age, (years) | 55.4 (6.3) |
| Smoking history, (pack years) | 27.1 (19.3) |
| No employment/retired | 29% |
| Living alone | 9% |
| Comorbiditya | 27% |
| Chronic cough | 23% |
| BMI | 26.6 (3.8) |
| FEV1 (L) | 3.5 (0.7) |
| FEV1 % predicted | 98 (16) |
| Lung function | |
| No airflow limitation | 59.7% |
| Mild COPD (GOLD I) | 29.6% |
| Moderate COPD (GOLD II) | 10.6% |
| Functional limitations by dyspnoea | |
| None | 74.9% |
| Mild (MRC I-II) | 17.7% |
| Moderate or severe (MRC III-V) | 7.3% |
| Generic QOL componentsb (range 0–100) SF36 | |
| Physical functioning | 86.3 (17.7) |
| Role functioning (physical) | 85.9 (29.5) |
| Bodily pain | 83.3 (22.5) |
| General health | 66.1 (18.8) |
| Vitality | 68.3 (19.2) |
| Social functioning | 87.9 (18.4) |
| Role functioning (emotional) | 88.9 (26.9) |
| Mental health | 78.4 (16.4) |
| Disease specific QOL componentsb (range 1–7) | |
| QOLRIQ | |
| Total score | 6.5 (0.5) |
| Breathing problems | 6.1 (0.8) |
| Physical problems | 6.4 (0.7) |
| Emotions | 6.5 (0.7) |
| General activities | 6.6 (0.8) |
| Situations triggering or enhancing breathing problems | 6.7 (0.6) |
| Daily and domestic activities | 6.5 (0.6) |
| Social activities/relationships/sexuality | 6.8 (0.5) |
a
Comorbidity denotes cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, musculoskeletal disease, cancer, renal disease.
b
Higher scores indicate a better quality of life. BMI = body mass index; FEV1 = forced expiratory volume in one second; COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; GOLD = global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease guidelines; (L) = Litres; MRC = Medical Research Council; QOL = quality of life; QOLRIQ = quality of life in respiratory illness questionnaire.