Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study patients
| Variables | All patients: n = 440 |
|---|---|
| Age (n = 440) med (IQR) | 68 (61–74) |
| Gender (M/F) | 372/68 |
| FEV1 (ml) (n = 92) med (IQR) | 965 (700–1060) |
| Time course of COPD (years) (n = 243) med (IQR) | 7 (4–15) |
| Comorbidities | |
| Diabetes n (%) | 81 (18.4) |
| Hypertension n (%) | 127 (28.9) |
| Cardiac failure n (%) | 36 (8.2) |
| Oxygen home therapy n (%) | 93 (21.1) |
| Baseline treatment | |
| Aminophylline n (%) | 107 (24.3) |
| Short-action duration ß2 mimetics n (%) | 197 (44.7) |
| Long-action duration ß2 mimetics n (%) | 46 (10.4) |
| Anticholinergics n (%) | 39 (8.9) |
| Inhaled corticosteroids n (%) | 116 (26.4) |
| Systemic corticosteroids n (%) | 37 (8.4) |
FEV 1 forced expiratory volume in 1 s, COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, med median, IQR inter-quartile range, M male, F female