Table 1. Baseline characteristics.
| Parameters | COPD (N = 23) |
NOS (N = 18) |
NS (N = 16) |
Overall P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male gender, n (%) | 21 (91.3) | 17 (94.4) | 6 (37.5) | <0.001 |
| Age, years | 64.4 [60.8–68.8] | 61.0 [51.8–68.9] | 65.7 [48.0–68.8] | 0.75 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 25.4 [21.8–28.3] | 27.1 [24.9–29.9] | 26.9 [23.6–30.1] | 0.483 |
| Pack-years | 42 [35–60] | 38 [20–41] | 0 | <0.001 |
| Systemic hypertension, n (%) | 10 (43.5) | 8 (44.4) | 4 (25) | 0.346 |
| Current smokers, n (%) | 17 (73.9) | 8 (44.4) | 0 | 0.055 |
| Diabetes Mellitus, n (%) | 7 (30.4) | 8 (44.4) | 1 (6.3) | 0.044 |
| FEV1 Post-BD, % predicted | 62.7 [56.1–76.9] | 96.7 [85.3–103.6] | 103.2 [88.5–118.8] | <0.001 |
| FEV1/FVC Post-BD, % | 59 [48.4–67] | 74.9 [71.4–81.2] | 78.2 [74.1–81.9] | <0.001 |
| DLCO, % predicted | 70.9 [56.8–79.6] | 81 [71.5–102.3] | 92.2 [76.7–102.3] | 0.002 |
| LABA or LAMA, n (%) | 13 (56.5) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | <0.001 |
| Inhaled CS, n (%) | 7 (30.4) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.003 |
| Leukocytes count, x10E9/L | 8.6 [7.6–10] | 8.1 [6.9–9.1] | 6.4 [5.6–8.3] | 0.004 |
| C-reactive protein, mg/L | 3.5 [1.4–9.5] | 2.4 [1.0–10.1] | 1.2 [1.0–2.7] | 0.240 |
| Fibrinogen, g/L | 3.2 [2.7–3.4] | 3.1 [2.6–3.8] | 2.8 [2.3–3.7] | 0.696 |
Data are presented as median [25th-75th percentile]. The reported p-value comes from the overall comparison with ANOVA method or Kruskal-Wallis test as appropriate, while qualitative variables were compared with chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test (any expected value <5). COPD: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, NOS: non-obstructed smokers, NS: never-smokers, BMI: body mass index, FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second, BD: bronchodilator, FVC: forced vital capacity, DLCO: diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide, LABA: long acting β-agonists, CS: corticosteroids.