Table 2.
Encounters Initiated and Characteristics of Exacerbations
| Characteristics of COPD Exacerbations | GOLD I and II (n = 40) | GOLD III and IV (n = 39) |
|---|---|---|
| Participant encounters initiated, No. | 89 | 103 |
| Exacerbations by Anthonisen type | ||
| 3 | 18 (20) | 15 (15) |
| 2 | 30 (34) | 27 (26) |
| 1a | 41 (46) | 60 (58) |
| Total | 89 | 102 |
| Exacerbations per participant, No. | ||
| 0 | 5 | 5 |
| 1 | 13 | 10 |
| 2 | 8 | 8 |
| 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | 8 | 3 |
| ≥ 5 | 4 | 7 |
| Exacerbations requiring help from any health-care professional | 53 (61) | 69 (67) |
| Exacerbations requiring visit to respiratory specialist | 7 (8) | 33 (32) |
| Exacerbations requiring family physician visit | 35 (40) | 54 (22) |
| Exacerbations requiring ED treatment | 10 (11) | 12 (12) |
| Exacerbations requiring hospitalization | 4 (5) | 9 (9) |
| Exacerbation length,b median (range), d | 8 (0–120) | 12 (0–74) |
| Exacerbation length, virus positive, median (range), d | 10.5 (2–73) | 16 (1–44) |
| Exacerbation length, virus negative, median (range), d | 7 (1–120) | 9 (2–74) |
| Unresolved exacerbation (no return to normal breathing) | 2 (2) | 14 (14) |
| Exacerbations with prednisone prescription without hospitalization | 19 (21) | 44 (43) |
| Exacerbations with antibiotic prescription without hospitalization | 60 (67) | 76 (74) |
| Exacerbations with virus detection | 38 (43) | 40 (39) |
| Absolute decline in postbronchodilator % predicted FEV1 at exacerbation from baseline, mean (SD) | 7.2 (7.3) | 0.7 (6.9) |
Data are given as No. (%) unless otherwise indicated. See Table 1 legend for expansion of abbreviations.
a
Most severe.
b
Data included for 173 exacerbations; in 16 there was no return to normal breathing by study end, and in two the participant died.