Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of the patient population
| Characteristics | Control group (n = 30) | Intervention group (n = 30) | χ2 test* t test | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, year | 73.0 ± 5.8 | 75.4 ± 6.6 | 0.60* | 0.439 |
| Female | 7 | 8 | 0.09 | 0.764 |
| Ex-smokers | 22 | 24 | 0.37 | 0.543 |
| Smoking index (pack year) | 26.2 ± 4.6 | 25.3 ± 4.8 | 0.44* | 0.562 |
| Hypertension | 14 | 12 | 0.27 | 0.603 |
| Coronary artery disease | 7 | 6 | 0.10 | 0.751 |
| Stroke | 4 | 4 | 0.14 | 0.708 |
| Type 2 diabetes | 3 | 4 | 0.001 | 0.974 |
| Numbers of concomitant diseases | 2.3 ± 0.7 | 2.2 ± 1.0 | 0.53* | 0.467 |
| Resting blood gas findings (FiO2 21 %) | ||||
| PaO2 <60 mmHg | 3 | 2 | 0.001 | 0.467 |
| PaCO2 >45 mmHg | 4 | 6 | 0.48 | 0.488 |
| PH <7.35 | 2 | 1 | 0.001 | 0.974 |
| FVC (% of predicted) | 65.3 ± 14.8 | 68.7 ± 15.5 | 1.05* | 0.306 |
| FEV1 (% of predicted) | 43.33 ± 3.6 | 41.9 ± 2.6 | 0.616* | 0.533 |
| 50–80 | 3 | 5 | 0.14 | 0.708 |
| 30–50 | 11 | 10 | 0.07 | 0.791 |
| ~30 | 16 | 15 | 0.07 | 0.791 |
FVC forced vital capacity, FEV1 forced expiratory volume in one-second