Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population
| n | % | |
|---|---|---|
| Patients | 45 | |
| Age, mean (range) * | 63.4 (46–74) | |
| Sex | ||
| Women | 15 | 33 |
| Men | 30 | 67 |
| Smoking habits | ||
| Ex | 30 | 67 |
| Current | 15 | 33 |
| GOLD (2007) stage * | ||
| II | 15 | 33 |
| III | 24 | 53 |
| IV | 6 | 13 |
| Patients with one sputum pair ** | 36 | 80 |
| Patients with multiple sputum pairs | 9 | 20 |
| Sputum pairs | 60 | |
| stable state | 31 | 52 |
| during exacerbation | 29 | 48 |
| H.influenza positive † | ||
| No | 12 | |
| Yes | 12 |
*At inclusion.
**Consisting of one spontaneous and one induced sputum sample.
†Detected in induced and/or spontaneous sputum sampled from stable state visits, and/or exacerbations.