Table 1. Demographic and clinical outcomes in the four groups of patients.
| Never-smokers n = 9 |
Smokers without COPD n = 19 |
Moderate COPD n = 21 |
Very severe COPD n = 21 |
p-for-trend | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), (SD) | 62 (14) | 60 (11) | 64 (8) | 55 (5) | 0.121 |
| Sex, male vs. female | 1/8 | 15/4 | 21/0 | 18/3 | |
| BMI (Kg/m2), (SD) | 27 (9) | 26 (4) | 24 (3) | 26 (5) | 0.385 |
| Pack-years, (SD) | 0 (0) | 50 (24) | 71 (28) | 48 (22) | 0.792 |
| Dyspnea score (mMRC >2), n (%) | 0 (0) | 1 (5) | 0 (0) | 21 (100) | <0.001 |
| Chronic bronchitis symptoms, n (%) | 0 (0) | 3 (16) | 6 (29) | 13 (62) | <0.001 |
| Any exacerbations in the last year, n (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (19) | 10 (48) | 17 (81) | <0.001 |
| N° of patients treated with ICS, n (%) | 0 (0) | 1 (5) | 8 (38) | 20 (95) | <0.001 |
| N° of patients with oxygen, n (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 16 (76) | <0.001 |
| FEV1 post-bronchodilator (% pred), (SD) | 99 (24) | 85 (11) | 69 (17) | 20 (4) | <0.001 |
| FEV1/FVC post-bronchodilator (% pred), (SD) | 80 (8) | 78 (6) | 59 (8) | 36 (8) | <0.001 |
| MED % (SD) | 1.7 (3) | 13 (16) | 29 (17)a | 62 (21) | <0.001 |
| LMb (:m) (SD) | 196 (93) | 255 (132) | 357 (226) | 467 (283) | 0.002 |
SD: Standard Deviation; BMI: Body Mass Index; mMRC: Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale; ICS: Inhaled corticosteroids; MED: Macroscopic Emphysema Degree; LM: Mean airspace chord length.
aMacroscopic emphysema degree non available in one patient.
bPatients without data of LM available. 1 never smoker, 1 smoker without COPD and 1 moderate COPD.