Table 1.
Clinical characteristics in patients with severe COPD in relation to the relative lymphocyte count at baseline
| Variablea | Relative lymphocyte count ≤20% (N = 85) | Relative lymphocyte count > 20% (N = 133) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (M/F) | 46/39 | 68/65 | 0.67 |
| Age (years) | 76±7 | 74±7 | 0.06 |
| Bodymass index (BMI) | 25.7±5 | 25.4±4 | 0.66 |
| History of smoking (n/%) | 43 (51%) | 72 (54%) | 0.61 |
| Alcohol use (n/%) | 30 (35%) | 48 (36%) | 0.90 |
| Lung Function | |||
| FEV1 (ml) | 762±268 | 870±268 | 0.004 |
| FEV1 (percent of predicted) | 30±9 | 34±8 | 0.005 |
| FVC (ml) | 1720±656 | 2038±687 | 0.001 |
| FVC (percent of predicted) | 53±17 | 62±17 | < 0.0001 |
| FEV1/FVC (percent) | 47±13 | 44±11 | 0.16 |
| Arterial Blood Gases | |||
| PaO2 (mmHg) | 71±9 | 70±8 | 0.79 |
| PaCO2 (mmHg) | 38±5 | 37±4 | 0.12 |
| pH | 7.40±0.39 | 7.40±0.41 | 0.47 |
| Disease (n/%) | |||
| Ischemic heart disease | 21 (25%) | 49 (37%) | 0.027 |
| History of myocardial infarction | 20 (24%) | 54 (41%) | 0.0091 |
| Congestive heart failure | 32 (38%) | 15 (11%) | 0.0001 |
| Corpulmonale | 43 (51%) | 49 (37%) | 0.031 |
| Diabetes | 19 (22%) | 25 (19%) | 0.52 |
| Systemic hypertension | 40 (47%) | 65 (49%) | 0.79 |
| Cerebro-vascular disease | 20 (24%) | 32 (24%) | 0.93 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 11 (13%) | 17 (13%) | 0.97 |
| Therapy (n/%) | |||
| Bronchodilators | 66 (78%) | 100 (75%) | 0.68 |
| Mucolytics | 70 (82%) | 101 (76%) | 0.26 |
| Aminophylline | 53 (62%) | 112 (69%) | 0.029 |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 95±22 | 82±19 | < 0.0001 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 139±25 | 142±20 | 0.42 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 78±11 | 81±9 | 0.031 |
Differences between groups were assessed by unpaired t-test or Mann-Whitney test for continuous variables having or not both normal distribution and homogeneous variance, and by the chi square test for dichotomous variables
COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, FEV1 forced expiratory volume at 1 s, FVC forced vital capacity, FEV1/FVC Tiffeneau, PaO2 partial arterial oxygen tension, PaCO2 partial arterial carbon dioxide tension, MI myocardial infarction. Plus-minus values are means±SD
aBodymass index is expressed as weight (kg)/height2 (m) ratio