Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of study participants from the primary trials
| 14-day OCS regimen | 2–5 days OCS regimen | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n = 155 | n = 474 | ||
| Age in years, mean (SD) | 72.4 (10.4) | 63.3 (10.2) | 0.0004 |
| Women, no. (%) | 69 (46.3) | 224 (47.9) | 0.74 |
| Index steroid dose in mg, median (IQR) | 560 (560–560) | 200 (155–230) | < 0.0001 |
| Smokers, no. (%) | |||
| Current | 62 (40) | 181 (38.2) | 0.69 |
| Past smoker | 93 (60) | 287 (60.5) | 0.90 |
| Never smoked | 0 (0.0) | 6 (1.3) | 0.16 |
| Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale, no. (%) | |||
| 1 | 4 (2.8) | 12 (2.6) | 0.90 |
| 2 | 14 (9.8) | 37 (8.0) | 0.51 |
| 3 | 15 (10.5) | 116 (25.2) | 0.0002 |
| 4 | 43 (30.1) | 144 (31.3) | 0.78 |
| 5 | 67 (46.9) | 151 (32.8) | 0.0023 |
| Pre-treatment with antibiotics, no. (%)* | 21 (13.5) | 118 (24.9) | 0.0031 |
| Pre-treatment with systemic glucocorticoids, no. (%)** | 24 (15.5) | 34 (7.2) | 0.0019 |
| Pack years, median (IQR) | 45 (30–60) | 45 (30–58) | 0.40 |
| FEV1 baseline, median (IQR) % predicted | 28.1 (21.0–40.8) | 30.0 (22.2–40.0) | 0.40 |
| FEV1 day 30. median (IQR) % predicted | 43.1 (32.2–60.0) | 41.0 (28.5–55.0) | 0.14 |
| Clinical values, median (IQR) | |||
| Blood pressure, mm Hg | |||
| Systolic blood pressure | 138 (124–158) | 130 (118–145) | 0.0019 |
| Diastolic blood pressure | 80 (70–87.5) | 72 (65–84) | 0.0004 |
| Heart rate, beats per min | 90 (79–105) | 89 (80–101) | 0.81 |
| Saturation with supplemental oxygen % | 95 (92–97) | 95 (93–96) | 0.94 |
OCS oral corticosteroids, FEV1 forced expiratory volume in 1 s, SD standard deviation, IQR interquartile range
*Data refer to treatment for the index acute COPD exacerbation
**Data refer to treatment prior to index acute COPD exacerbation, defined as daily therapy over 2 days or more directly before the day of inclusion