Table 5.
Same COPD Subjects in Stable and Exacerbation phase (n = 36) Demographics, Salivary Biomarker & Symptom Profiles
| Stable | Exacerbation | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Age, a years | 68 ± 9 | ||
| Gender, male (female) | 17 (19) | ||
| FEV1, a % predicted | 53 ± 23 | 48 ± 19 | < 0.001 |
| BMI, a (kg/m2) | 24.0 ± 6.3 | ||
| Co Morbidities | |||
| Nil | 5 | ||
| Gum Disease | 2 | ||
| Cardiac | 30 | ||
| Type 2 Diabetes | 4 | ||
| Treatment | |||
| B2 Agonists (Short Acting) | 35 | ||
| B2 Agonists (Long Acting) | 32 | ||
| Anticholinergic (Short Acting) | 5 | ||
| Anticholinergic (Long Acting) | 25 | ||
| Inhaled Steroid | 31 | ||
| Oral Theophyllines | 6 | ||
| Symptom & Sputum Metricsb | |||
| Increased Cough, n | 0 | 10 | < 0.001 |
| MRC Score | 5.00, 1.25 | 5.00, 1.25 | < 0.16 |
| Breathing Score | 3.00, 0.00 | 4.00, 1.00 | < 0.006 |
| ADL Score | 3.00, 1.00 | 4.00, 2.00 | < 0.014 |
| Sputum Amount | 2.00, 2.00 | 3.00, 2.25 | < 0.001 |
| Sputum Texture | 1.94, 0.33 | 2.06, 0.41 | < 0.001 |
| Sputum Colour | 3.00, 1.00 | 4.00, 0.41 | < 0.05 |
| Salivary Biomarkersb | |||
| CRP, ng/ml | 1.61, 1.10 | 7.35, 10.04 | < 0.001 |
| PCT, ng/ml | 0.09, 0.06 | 0.50, 0.71 | < 0.001 |
| NE, ng/ml | 128, 190 | 769, 1680 | < 0.001 |
COPD = Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; FEV1 = Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 s; BMI = Body Mass Index; ex = ex-smokers; MRC = Medical Research Council; ADL = Activity of Daily Living; CRP = C-Reactive Protein; PCT = Procalcitonin; NE = Neutrophil Elastase. Exacerbation frequency is divided into 3 groups: Group 1 = 1–3, Group 2 = 4–6, Group 3 = >6. Data are presented as: a, Mean ± standard deviation; b, Median, inter-quartile range. P values represent the difference between stable and exacerbation phases