Table 1.
Characteristics of the study participants
| All | GOLD 1 mild |
GOLD 2 moderate |
GOLD 3 severe |
GOLD 4 very severe |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (N = 298) | (N = 32) | (N = 156) | (N = 90) | (N = 20) | |
| Parameter | Mean, N (SD, %) | ||||
| Age (yr) | 69.2 ± 8.8 | 70.9 ± 8.2 | 69.5 ± 8.7 | 68.8 ± 8.8 | 65.5 ± 10.1 |
| Male (n,%) | 257 (86.2%) | 31 (96.9%) | 129 (82.7%) | 80 (88.9%) | 17 (85.0%) |
| BMI (kg/m2) * | 22.8 ± 3.3 | 24.0 ± 3.1 | 23.4 ± 3.1 | 22.1 ± 3.3 | 20.1 ± 3.2 |
| Medical aid (n,%) | 27 (9.1%) | 1 (3.1%) | 15 (9.6%) | 7 (7.8%) | 4 (20.0%) |
| Unemployed (n,%) | 240 (80.5%) | 24 (75.0%) | 129 (82.7%) | 71 (78.9%) | 16 (80.0%) |
| Smoking history (pack-yr) | 43.0 ± 28.7 | 42.0 ± 53.0 | 41.1 ± 24.7 | 47.0 ± 23.1 | 40.5 ± 18.9 |
| Time from diagnosis (yr) * | 5.4 ± 3.7 | 3.5 ± 2.5 | 4.8 ± 3.3 | 6.4 ± 4.0 | 8.7 ± 4.4 |
| History of Tuberculosis (n, %) * | 103 (34.6%) | 6 (18.8%) | 49 (31.4%) | 35 (38.9%) | 13 (65.0%) |
| Treatment | |||||
| LABA+LAMA (n, %) * | 66 (22.1%) | 4 (12.5%) | 29 (18.6%) | 25 (27.8%) | 8 (40.0%) |
| ICS/LABA (n, %) * | 114 (38.3%) | 6 (18.8%) | 46 (29.5%) | 51 (56.7%) | 11 (55.0%) |
| Treated with 3 or more therapies (n, %) * | 77 (25.8%) | 0 (0.0%) | 27 (17.3%) | 35 (38.9%) | 15 (75.0%) |
| Exacerbation | |||||
| ≥ 2 for exacerbations in past year * | 29 (9.7%) | 2 (6.2%) | 7 (4.5%) | 14 (15.6%) | 6 (30.0%) |
| admission ≥2 or hospitalized≥1 for exacerbations in past year * | 47 (15.8%) | 3 (9.4%) | 14 (9.0%) | 21 (23.3%) | 9 (45.0%) |
| History of Exacerbations (n-yr) * | 0.5 ± 1.3 | 0.3 ± 0.6 | 0.3 ± 1.2 | 0.6 ± 1.3 | 1.4 ± 2.3 |
| Post-bronchodilater lung function | |||||
| FEV1 (ml) * | 1.6 ± 0.6 | 2.5 ± 0.4 | 1.8 ± 0.4 | 1.2 ± 0.3 | 0.7 ± 0.2 |
| FEV1 (% predicted) * | 55.8 ± 17.9 | 88.1 ± 8.3 | 62.2 ± 8.1 | 40.1 ± 5.5 | 25.4 ± 3.5 |
| FVC (ml) * | 3.0 ± 0.8 | 3.6 ± 0.7 | 3.1 ± 0.8 | 2.7 ± 0.7 | 2.3 ± 0.8 |
| FEV1/FVC (%) * | 54.3 ± 15.1 | 68.9 ± 7.7 | 59.1 ± 12.0 | 45.0 ± 13.6 | 34.9 ± 7.8 |
| Comorbidities treated in hospital (n,%) | |||||
| CVD (Angina, MI, CHF, AF) | 140 (47.0%) | 17 (53.1%) | 75 (48.1%) | 40 (44.4%) | 8 (40.0%) |
| Hypertension | 110 (36.9%) | 15 (46.9%) | 63 (40.4%) | 29 (32.2%) | 3 (15.0%) |
| Diabetes | 44 (14.8%) | 5 (15.6%) | 22 (14.1%) | 13 (14.4%) | 4 (20.0%) |
| GERD | 75 (25.2%) | 9 (28.1%) | 42 (26.9%) | 21 (23.3%) | 3 (15.0%) |
| Anxiety / depression | 20 (6.7%) | 1 (3.1%) | 7 (4.5%) | 9 (10.0%) | 3 (15.0%) |
| Asthma | 67 (22.5%) | 6 (18.8%) | 39 (25.0%) | 17 (18.9%) | 5 (25.0%) |
| Number of comorbidities (n) | 1.6 ± 1.5 | 1.7 ± 1.6 | 1.7 ± 1.5 | 1.5 ± 1.4 | 1.2 ± 1.2 |
SD: standard deviation; BMI: body mass index; Medical aid: tax-based health security system which targets low income group; LABA: long acting bronchodilator; LAMA: long acting muscarinic antagonist; ICS: inhaled corticosteroid; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s: FVC: forced vital capacity; CVD: cardiovascular disease; MI: myocardial infarction; CHF: congestive heart failure; AF: atrial fibrillation; GERD: gastroesophageal reflux disease;
* p < 0.05, p-value was calculated to test significant differences between severity groups using Chi-square test for categorical variables and ANOVA for continuous variables