Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of COPD patients and healthy controls*
| Characteristics |
Controls N = 195 |
COPD N = 355 |
P-value |
| Years of age | 54.3 (7.3) | 64.2 (9.4) | <0.001 |
| Male, N (%) | 94 (48) | 219 (62) | 0.002 |
| Current smoker, N (%) | 115 (59%) | 90 (25%) | <0.001 |
| Tobacco consumption, pack years-smoked | 29.6 (14.8) | 39.9 (18.5) | <0.001 |
| FEV1, liters | 3.2 (0.7) | 1.1 (0.5) | <0.001 |
| FEV1,%pred | 103.3 (15.1) | 41.9 (16.0) | <0.001 |
| FEV1/FVC, % | 78.3 (5.3) | 42.0 (11.9) | <0.001 |
| FVC, liters | 4.1 (0.9) | 3.0 (0.9) | <0.001 |
| FVC,%pred | 109.3 (16.8) | 86.3 (21.1) | <0.001 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 26.4 (3.7) | 25.0 (5.0) | <0.001 |
| Hypertension†, N (%) | 33 (17%) | 88 (25%) | 0.01 |
| PaO2, kPa | - | 9.2 (1.37) | |
| PaCO2, kPa | - | 5.5 (0.80) | |
| Long-term oxygen therapy, N (%) | - | 82 (23.43) | |
| 6 minute walking distance, meters | - | 420.1 (127.9) | |
| Maximum workload, watts | - | 72.6 (33.9) | |
| Maximum workload,% pred | - | 56.6 (25.2) | |
| MRC dyspnea score | - | 3 (2–4) | |
| BODE index | 4.3 (2.1) | ||
| Systolic blood pressure, mm/Hg | - | 135.9 (23.31) | |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mm/Hg | - | 81.1 (13.09) | |
| Charlson co morbidity index‡ | - | 1 (1–8) | |
| CRP, mg/L | 1.3 (0.2–3.19) | 4.6 (1.3–11.09) | <0.001 |
| IL-6, pg/mL | 0.7 (0.45–1.38) | 2.1 (1.15–4.24) | <0.001 |
| Fibrinogen, g/L | 3.3 (3.00–3.60) | 3.6 (3.23–3.82) | <0.001 |
|
Number of plasma markers in the top quartile: |
<0.001 | ||
| 0, N (%) | 155 (79.4%) | 159 (44.5%) | |
| 1, N (%) | 29 (14.4%) | 88 (24.2%) | |
| 2–3, N (%) | 10 (5.2%) | 118 (31.3%) | |
| CRP < 1 mg/L | 93 (47.9%) | 68 (19.2%) | <0.001 |
| CRP 1–3 mg/L | 51 (26.3%) | 81 (22.8%) | |
| CRP 3–10 mg/L | 40 (20.6%) | 109 (30.7%) | |
| CRP > 10 mg/L | 10 (5.2%) | 97 (27.3%) |
*Data presented as mean (standard deviation), median (inter quartile range) or No (%) unless otherwise stated
†Hypertension was defined as blood pressure > 140/90 mmHg or need for antihypertensive treatment.
‡ Median (range)