Table 2.
Characteristics of subjects included in the sputum study
| Healthy Non-smokers | Healthy Smokers | COPD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of subjects | 20 | 20 | 40 |
| Sex (M/F) | 10/10 | 11/9 | 22/18 |
| Age (years) | 56.84±2.14 | 57.85±2.00 | 67.40±1.12a† |
| Pack-years | 0 | 32.14±2.96 | 41.99±2.78† |
| Time since diagnosis (years) | – | – | 7.05±1.00 |
| PB FEV1% of predicted | 101.9±2.92 | 96.88±6.26 | 61.98±2.76a† |
| PB FEV1%FVC | 77.69±1.43 | 74.39±1.18 | 52.49±1.57a† |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27.23 ± 0.80 | 27.72 ± 0.68 | 28.39 ± 1.05 |
| CAT score | – | – | 15.8 ± 1.18 |
| 6MWT (m) | – | – | 388.6 ± 11.08 |
| mMRC score‡ | – | – | 1 (0–3) |
| BODE index‡ | – | – | 1 (0–6) |
| Current smokers (%) | 0 | 100 | 42.5 |
| Use of ICS (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. of atopic subjects (No) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sputum eosinophils (%) | 0.89 ± 0.28 | 1.43 ± 0.28 | 2.93 ± 0.95 |
| Sputum neutrophils (%) | 18.89 ± 3.77 | 23.28 ± 2.23 | 37.40 ± 4.93a |
| Sputum macrophages (%) | 65.69 ± 3.76 | 56.85 ± 1.99 | 44.70 ± 41a# |
| Sputum lymphocytes (%) | 6.43 ± 0.84 | 4.26 ± 0.72 | 6.60 ± 1.99 |
| Sputum eosinophils (No of cells/ g of sputum × 104) | 1.60 ± 0.77 | 1.55 ± 0.73 | 2.70 ± 1.33 |
| Sputum neutrophils (No of cells/ g of sputum ×104) | 14.95 ± 3.12 | 19.40 ± 10.01 | 19.50 ± 7.36 |
| Sputum macrophages (No of cells/ g of sputum ×104) | 16.10 ± 2.79 | 31.00 ± 5.62 | 41.98 ± 12.55 |
| Sputum lymphocytes (No of cells/ g of sputum ×104) | 2.60 ± 0.47 | 2.10 ± 0.45 | 5.92 ± 3.25 |
PB post bronchodilator, FEV1 forced expiratory volume in first second, FVC forced vital capacity, CAT COPD assessment test, 6MWT six-minute walk test, mMRC modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale, ICS inhaled corticosteroids
aCOPD vs Healthy Non-smokers, p < 0.05; †COPD vs Healthy Smokers p < 0.05; ‡median (min-max)