Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of 125 patients at the beginning of the PRP
| Subject characteristics | EX group (n=32) | NEX group (n=93) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stages completed | 27/32 (84.4) | 90/93 (96.8) | 0.01 |
| Age, years | 66.4±7.3 | 64.5±8.7 | 0.26 |
| Sex: male/female | 14/18 | 57/36 | 0.09 |
| Current smoking | 10/22 (31.3) | 18/75 (19.4) | 0.17 |
| Regular use of oxygen | 21/11 (65.6) | 24/69 (25.8) | 0.0001 |
| Charlson score | 4.2±2.2 | 3.8±1.6 | 0.23 |
| Pulmonary medication use | |||
| No medication | 2 (6.2) | 3 (3.2) | 0.37 |
| 1 medication (LABA or LAMA) | 0 (0.0) | 6 (6.5) | |
| 2 medications (LABA and LAMA or LABA and ICS) | 11 (34.4) | 37 (39.8) | |
| 3 medications (LABA, LAMA, and ICS) | 19 (59.4) | 47 (50.5) | |
| FVC, % pred | 71.8±21.7 | 78.0±23.0 | 0.19 |
| FEV1, % pred | 39.7±19.6 | 48.6±20.3 | 0.033 |
| FEV1/FVC | 41.5±10.3 | 50.3±13.1 | 0.001 |
| COPD classification according to the severity of airflow limitation (GOLD stages 1–4) | |||
| 1 | 2 (6.9) | 9 (9.7) | 0.01 |
| 2 | 3 (9.4) | 33 (35.5) | |
| 3 | 20 (62.5) | 30 (32.3) | |
| 4 | 7 (21.2) | 21 (22.5) | |
| COPD classification according to symptoms, breathlessness, spirometric classification, and risk of exacerbations (GOLD stages A–D) | |||
| A | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.1) | 0.153 |
| B | 4 (12.5) | 29 (31.2) | |
| C | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.1) | |
| D | 28 (87.5) | 62 (66.6) | |
| BODE index | 5.6±2.2 | 3.4±2.0 | <0.001 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 22.9±4.8 | 26.6±6.5 | 0.003 |
| 6MWT, m | 309±101 | 376±88 | 0.001 |
| VO2 peak, mL/kg/min | 11.7±3.5 | 13.4±3.8 | 0.06 |
| WR peak, W | 41.6±17.2 | 64.0±24.3 | <0.001 |
| mMRC score | 2.9±0.8 | 2.1±0.9 | <0.001 |
| HADS score | 15.1±6.4 | 16.0±6.1 | 0.53 |
| CAT score | 22.8±5.5 | 19.6±6.6 | 0.03 |
| VSRQ score | 31.5±15.2 | 36.4±12.8 | 0.10 |
Notes: The patients were allocated into two groups according to the occurrence (EX group) or not (NEX group) of a COPD exacerbation. Data are presented as n (%) or mean ± SD except sex, which is presented as n.
Abbreviations: 6MWT, 6-minute walk test; BMI, body mass index; BODE, body mass index, airway obstruction, dyspnea, exercise capacity; CAT, COPD assessment test; GOLD, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; ICS, inhaled corticosteroid; LABA, long-acting β2-agonist; LAMA, long-acting muscarinic antagonist; mMRC, modified Medical Research Council; % pred, percent predicted; PRP, pulmonary rehabilitation program; VO2 peak, peak oxygen uptake; VSRQ, visual simplified respiratory questionnaire; WR peak, peak work rate.