Table 1.
Characteristics of patients according to the baseline diagnosis
| Asthma | COPD | ACO | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of subjects | 94 | 89 | 109 | |
| Age (years) | 61.8 (12.3) | 67.9 (8.6) | 63.31 (10.6) | <0.001 |
| Gender (% female) | 55.3 | 24.7 | 34.9 | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 28.6 (4.7) | 28.4 (4.9) | 28.6 (6) | 0.96 |
| Pack-years | 3.4 (5.8) | 48.7 (22.5) | 45.1 (24) | <0.001 |
| Positive SPT (%) | 46.8 | 7.9 | 32.1 | <0.001 |
| Rhinitis (%) | 53.2 | 9.3 | 31.1 | <0.001 |
| Pre-BD FEV1 (%) | 61.2 (17.7) | 51.4 (18.2) | 53.8 (16.5) | <0.001 |
| Post-BD FEV1 (%) | 69.5 (18.9) | 55.1 (18.5) | 58.9 (17) | <0.001 |
| PBT (%) | 44.6 | 19.2 | 37.7 | 0.001 |
| DLCO (%) | 83.4 (18.7) | 63.6 (25.9) | 66.6 (19.1) | <0.001 |
| Exacerbations in previous year | 0.97 (1.37) | 1.08 (1.32) | 0.97 (1.36) | 0.92 |
| Blood eosinophils (cells/µL) | 300 (0, 4,350) | 100 (0, 200) | 300 (0, 1,000) | <0.001 |
| Sputum eosinophils (n=35, %) | 4.8 (5.8) | 1.8 (2.1) | 6.3 (5.8) | 0.21 |
| IgE (IU/mL) | 123 (4, 2,909) | 51 (4, 2,301) | 89.8 (4, 2,500) | 0.094 |
| FeNO (ppb) | 36.0 (24.1) | 17.3 (9.6) | 22.5 (21) | <0.001 |
| CAT | 14.8 (8.8) | 13.0 (6.7) | 13.3 (7.7) | 0.83 |
| ACT | 20.2 (4.4) | 20.4 (4.3) | 19.4 (4.8) | 0.54 |
| ICS (%) | 100 | 66.3 | 75.2 | <0.01 |
| LABA (%) | 99 | 93.3 | 93.6 | 0.19 |
| LAMA (%) | 54.3 | 87.6 | 73.4 | <0.01 |
Notes: Data are expressed as mean (SD), median (percentile 25, percentile 75), or n and %. Overall p-values are reported. Exacerbations: number of severe exacerbations during the past 12 months.
Abbreviations: ACO, asthma–COPD overlap; ACT, asthma control test; BMI, body mass index; CAT, COPD assessment test; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; DLCO, carbon monoxide diffusing capacity; FeNO, fractioned exhaled nitric oxide levels; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in the first second; ICS, inhaled corticosteroid; IgE, immunoglobulin E; LABA, long-acting β2-agonists; LAMA, long-acting muscarinic antagonists; PBT, positive bronchodilator test; post-BD, post-bronchodilator; pre-BD, pre-bronchodilator; SPT, skin prick test.