Table 2.
Characteristics of the study population
| Characteristics | Mean | ±SD |
|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 67.5 | ±9.6 |
| Pack years | 36.4 | ±32.8 |
|
| ||
| n | % | |
|
| ||
| Sex | ||
| Male | 68 | 43.9 |
| Marital status* | ||
| Married | 110 | 71.0 |
| Unmarried | 11 | 7.1 |
| Divorced | 13 | 8.4 |
| Widow | 18 | 11.6 |
| Condition of living* | ||
| Single | 34 | 21.9 |
| Non-single | 111 | 71.6 |
| Place of living* | ||
| Home, independent of home care | 103 | 66.5 |
| Home, dependent of home care | 45 | 29.0 |
| Residential home | 2 | 1.3 |
| Highest level of education* | ||
| No education | 1 | 0.6 |
| Elementary school | 21 | 13.5 |
| Secondary school | 47 | 30.3 |
| Primary education | 35 | 22.6 |
| Secondary education | 29 | 18.7 |
| Higher/university education | 15 | 9.7 |
| GOLD stage*,• | ||
| 0 | 8 | 5.2 |
| I | 10 | 6.5 |
| II | 41 | 26.5 |
| III | 52 | 33.5 |
| IV | 36 | 23.2 |
| Predictors | ||
| Hypoxemia or hypercapnia | 62 | 40.0 |
| NIV | 11 | 7.1 |
| Professional home care | 50 | 32.3 |
| Negative answer SQ | 76 | 49.0 |
| Comorbidity | 31 | 20.0 |
| CCQ total, day version >3 | 96 | 61.9 |
| MRC dyspnea =5 | 71 | 45.8 |
| FEV1 <30% of predicted | 45 | 29.0 |
| BMI <21 or weight loss | 26 | 16.8 |
| Prev hosp AECOPD | 62 | 40.0 |
| Age >70 years | 62 | 40.0 |
Notes: Study population (N=155).
*
Because of missing values, some numbers do not add up to 100%.
•
GOLD stage according to the last known data in medical file; inclusion in the study was based on the judgment by pulmonologist.
Abbreviations: AECOPD, acute exacerbation COPD; BMI, body mass index; CCQ, Clinical COPD Questionnaire; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 second; GOLD, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; MRC dyspnea, Medical Research Council dyspnea questionnaire; NIV, noninvasive ventilation; prev hosp, previous hospitalization; SQ, surprise question.