Table 1.
Baseline characteristics included patients (n = 2957)
| Demographics | Patients (n = 2957)a |
|---|---|
| Age (years) | 50 (36-63) |
| Gender (male) | 1195 (40.4%) |
| Caucasian ethnicity | 2862 (96.8%) |
| Comorbiditiesb | |
| COPD | 176 (6.0%) |
| Asthma | 307 (10.4%) |
| Other lung disease | 62 (2.1%) |
| Heart failure | 57 (1.9%) |
| Ischemic heart disease | 159 (5.4%) |
| Other hearth disease | 111 (3.8%) |
| Diabetes | 190 (6.4%) |
| Smoking past or current | 1603 (54.2%) |
| Disease related characteristics at presentation | |
| Severe cough | 983 (33.2%) |
| Sputum production | 309 (10.4%) |
| Shortness of breath | 215 (7.3%) |
| Wheeze | 115 (3.9%) |
| Blocked or runny nose | 355 (12.0%) |
| Fever | 122 (4.1%) |
| Chest pain | 155 (5.2%) |
| Muscle aching | 163 (5.5%) |
| Headache | 226 (7.6%) |
| Disturbed sleep | 542 (18.3%) |
| Feeling generally unwell | 349 (11.8%) |
| Interference with normal daily activities | 344 (11.6%) |
| Confusion/disorientation | 6 (0.2%) |
| Diarrhoea | 16 (0.5%) |
| One or more abnormalities at lung auscultation | 1165 (39.4%) |
| Breaths (per min) | 16 (15-18) |
| Heart rate (beats per min) | 76 (70-83) |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 127 (117-140) |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 80 (70-85) |
| Oral temperature (°C) | 36.7 (36.4-37) |
| Medication prescribed for illnessc | 2086 (70.5%) |
COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
a
Demographics are given as absolute numbers with % for categorical variables or as median with interquartile range for continuous variables.
b
Some patients had multiple comorbidities.
c
Prescribed medication included antibiotics, antitussives, mucolytic drugs, antihistamines, bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory drugs.