Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study population
| Characteristics | Patients enrolled at baseline | Patients randomized | Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) | Standard care (SC) | p-value (comparing PR vs SC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 48 | 27 | 9 | 18 | |
| Age (years) | 68 (63–72) | 68 (63–72) | 68 (63–71) | 68 (63–73) | 0.8 |
| Sex (% female) | 31 (64.6%) | 20 (74.1%) | 5 (55.6%) | 15 (83.3%) | 0.2 |
| Comorbidities | |||||
| Angina | 4 (8.3%) | 1 (3.7%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (8.3%) | 1.0 |
| Myocardial infarction | 3 (6.3%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1.0 |
| Osteoporosis | 5 (10.4%) | 4 (14.8%) | 2 (22.2%) | 2 (11.1%) | 0.6 |
| Anxiety | 7 (14.6%) | 5 (18.5%) | 2 (22.2%) | 3 (16.7%) | 1.0 |
| Diabetes | 5 (10.4%) | 3 (11.1%) | 1 (11.1%) | 2 (11.1%) | 1.0 |
| Hypertension | 12 (25.0%) | 9 (33.3%) | 2 (22.2%) | 7 (38.9%) | 0.7 |
| Smoking status | |||||
| Never | 31 (64.6%) | 18 (66.7%) | 7 (77.8%) | 11 (61.1%) | 0.6 |
| Ex | 14 (29.2%) | 8 (29.6%) | 1 (11.1%) | 7 (38.9%) | |
| Current | 3 (6.3%) | 1 (3.7%) | 1 (11.1%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Medications | |||||
| Inhaled corticosteroids | 22 (45.8%) | 16 (59.3%) | 6 (66.7%) | 10 (55.6%) | 0.7 |
| Macrolide | 28 (58.3%) | 17 (63.0%) | 6 (66.7%) | 11 (61.1%) | 1.0 |
| Other long term antibiotic | 2 (4.2%) | 1 (3.7%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (5.6%) | 1.0 |
| Inhaled antibiotic | 1 (2.1%) | 1 (3.7%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (5.6%) | 1.0 |
| Disease severity | |||||
| Exacerbations per year | |||||
| 1 | 14 (29.2%) | 4 (14.8%) | 2 (22.2%) | 2 (11.1%) | 0.6 |
| 2 | 8 (16.7%) | 8 (29.6%) | 4 (44.4%) | 4 (22.2%) | |
| 3 or more | 26 (54.2%) | 15 (55.6%) | 3 (33.3%) | 12 (66.7%) | |
| Body mass index | 27.3 (24.1–30.8) | 27.7 (24.5–31.5) | 30.7 (25.3–33.3) | 26.8 (23.1–30.5) | 0.3 |
| FEV1 | 1.79 (1.19–2.11) | 1.78 (1.19–2.06) | 1.98 (1.10–2.50) | 1.71 (1.25–2.05) | 0.5 |
| FEV1% predicted | 81.5 (53.3–102) | 81 (52–96) | 76.0 (46.5–109) | 83 (55.8–90.8) | 0.4 |
| FVC | 2.76 (2.25–3.74) | 2.69 (2.24–3.34) | 2.92 (2.17–3.86) | 2.67 (2.18–3.22) | 0.5 |
| 6-min walk distance (m) | 432 (334–497) | 434 (348–500) | 414 (280–494) | 448 (400–507) | 0.6 |
| Bronchiectasis severity index | |||||
| Mild | 9 (18.8%) | 6 (22.2%) | 2 (22.2%) | 4 (22.2%) | 0.9 |
| Moderate | 20 (41.7%) | 10 (37.0%) | 4 (44.4%) | 6 (33.3%) | |
| Severe | 19 (39.6%) | 11 (40.7%) | 3 (33.3%) | 8 (44.4%) | |
| Microbiology at baseline | |||||
| Haemophilus influenzae | 17 (35.4%) | 9 (33.3%) | 3 (33.3%) | 6 (33.3%) | 1.0 |
| Moraxella catarrhalis | 8 (16.7%) | 5 (18.5%) | 1 (11.1%) | 4 (22.2%) | 0.6 |
| Enterobacteriaceae | 7 (14.6%) | 5 (18.5%) | 2 (22.2%) | 3 (16.7%) | 1.0 |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | 6 (12.5%) | 4 (14.8%) | 2 (22.2%) | 2 (11.1%) | 0.6 |
| Others | 10 (20.8%) | 4 (14.8%) | 1 (11.1%) | 3 (16.7%) | 1.0 |