Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
| Low-dose group N = 159 |
High-dose group N = 159 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Age [years] | 75 (69–81) | 75 (68–82) |
| Females, n (%) | 86 (54%) | 89 (56%) |
| BMI [kg/m2] | 24.2 (20.8–26.6) | 23.6 (20.3–27.9) |
| FEV1% predicted | 32 (23.0–39) | 30 (23.0–40.5) |
| Severe exacerbation rate in the previous 12 months, mean (95% confidence interval) | 0.64 (0.45–0.83) | 0.69 (0.44–0.94) |
| Smokers, n (%) | 54 (34%) | 50 (31%) |
| Pack years | 45 (30–57) | 45 (30–57) |
| Ca2+ [mmol/L] | 1.18 (1.15–1.22) | 1.19 (1.15–1.22) |
| 25OHD3 [nmol/L] | 76 (48–103) | 87 (58–111) |
| PTH [ρmol/L] | 5.4 (4.1–7.6) | 5.4 (4.8–7.4) |
| Fasting blood glucose [mmol/L] | 8.1 (7.6–8.6) | 8.0 (7.6–8.4) |
| Leucocytes [× 109/L] | 9.8 (7.5–13.5) | 9.9 (7.9–13.1) |
| CRP [mg/L] | 22 (8–70) | 33 (11–104) |
| Corticosteroids during hospitalisation [days] | 2 (1–3) | 5 (5–5) |
| Cumulative corticosteroid dose during hospitalisation (mg) | 121 (113–130) | 225 (222–228) |
| Cumulative corticosteroid dose during 3-month follow-up (mg) | 261 (216–301) | 421 (353–488) |
| Inhaled corticosteroid therapy before recruitment | 80 (50%) | 96 (60%) |
| Prednisolone prescription 2 weeks before recruitment, n (%) | 8 (5%) | 12 (8%) |
| Maintenance of prednisolone treatment (≤ 10 mg) daily, n (%) | 10 (6%) | 7 (4%) |
| Osteoporosis, n (%) | 33 (21%) | 26 (16%) |
| Bisphosphonates within the 12 months before inclusion, n (%) | 18 (11.3%) | 15 (9.4%) |
| Denosumab within the 12 months before inclusion, n (%) | 8 (5.0%) | 2 (1.3%) |
| Synthetic human parathyroid hormone within the 12 months before inclusion, n (%) | 1 (0.6%) | 0 |
Data are expressed as medians (interquartile ranges) unless otherwise stated
Abbreviations: BMI body mass index, FEV1 forced expiratory volume in 1 s, PTH parathyroid hormone, Ca2+ calcium ion concentration, 25OHD3 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, CRP C-reactive protein