Table 3.
Characteristics of unreported and reported exacerbations and the relationship between event characteristics and the likelihood of reporting an exacerbation.
| Characteristics of exacerbations | Global | Unreported | Reported | Odds ratio (95% CI) | P value | |
| Exacerbations, n (%) | 262 (100.0) | 163 (62.2) | 99 (37.8) | N/Aa | N/A | |
| Duration of worsened symptoms, day median (P25-75) | 6 (4-9) | 5 (3-8) | 8 (6-11.2) | 1.17 (1.08-1.27) | <.001 | |
| Total number of key symptoms, mean (SD) | 3.12 (1.09) | 2.91 (1.04) | 3.47 (1.09) | 1.88 (1.35-2.63) | <.001 | |
| Type of symptoms, n (%) | ||||||
|
|
Dyspnea | 137 (52.3) | 87 (53.4) | 50 (50.5) | 0.95 (0.49-1.00) | .9 |
|
|
Sputum amount | 177 (67.6) | 106 (65.0) | 71 (71.7) | 1.48 (0.72-3.05) | .28 |
|
|
Sputum color | 91 (34.7) | 37 (22.7) | 54 (54.5) | 8.39 (3.31-21.22) | <.001 |
|
|
Cough | 172 (65.6) | 98 (60.1) | 74 (74.7) | 2.30 (1.13-4.66) | .02 |
|
|
Wheeze | 75 (28.6) | 45 (27.6) | 30 (30.3) | 1.31 (0.62-2.75) | .47 |
|
|
Sore throat | 57 (21.8) | 37 (22.7) | 20 (20.2) | 0.69 (0.29-1.63) | .49 |
|
|
Cold | 110 (41.9) | 65 (39.9) | 45 (45.5) | 1.30 (0.64-2.61) | .46 |
| Severity by number of symptoms, n (%) | 2.93 (1.25-6.85) | <.001 | ||||
|
|
2 | 85 (32.5) | 68 (41.7) | 17 (17.1) | ||
|
|
3 | 96 (36.6) | 60 (36.8) | 36 (36.4) | ||
|
|
4 or more | 81 (30.9) | 35 (21.5) | 46 (46.5) | ||
aNot applicable.