Table 1.
Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Multiple Lung Function Tests (LFTs) Recorded (n = 115)
| Clinical Parameters | First LFT | Last LFT | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years)a | 50.4 (48.3, 52.5) | 52.2 (50.1, 54.3) | 0.212 |
| Anthropometric data and corpulence status | |||
| Height (m)a | 1.67 (1.66, 1.69) | 1.67 (1.65, 1.69) | 0.912 |
| Weight (kg)b | 72 (60, 92) | 74 (60, 93) | 0.937 |
| Body mass index (BMI, kg/m2)b | 26.3 (20.8, 33) | 26.6 (21.2, 32.4) | 0.894 |
| Underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2)c | 13 (11) | 15 (13) | 0.687 |
| Normal weight (BMI:18.5–24.9 kg/m2)c | 37 (32) | 34 (30) | 0.669 |
| Overweight (BMI: 25.0–29.9 kg/m2)c | 27 (23) | 25 (22) | 0.753 |
| Obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2)c | 38 (33) | 41 (36) | 0.677 |
| Smoking status | |||
| Never smokerc | 12 (10%) | - | - |
| Former smokerc | 41 (36%) | - | - |
| Current smokerc | 62 (54%) | - | - |
| Radiology Findings^ | |||
| No abnormalityc | 59 (51%) | - | - |
| Any abnormality | 56 (49%) | - | - |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)c | 31 (28%) | - | - |
| Bronchiectasisc | 12 (10%) | - | - |
| Combined COPD + Bronchiectasisc | 13 (12%) | - | - |
| Airway directed inhaled pharmacotherapy | |||
| Any inhaled pharmacotherapy*c | 77 (67) | 90 (78) | 0.055 |
| Short acting β2 receptor agonistc | 70 (61) | 82 (72) | 0.077 |
| Short acting muscarinic antagonistc | 5 (4) | 9 (8) | 0.255 |
| Long acting β2 receptor agonistc | 54 (47) | 64 (56) | 0.210 |
| Long acting muscarinic antagonistc | 37 (33) | 43 (38) | 0.405 |
| Inhaled corticosteroid | 55 (48) | 65 (57) | 0.187 |
| Other airway directed therapy | |||
| Theophyllinec | 3 (3) | 8 (7) | 0.119 |
| Airway clearance therapyc | 8 (7) | 9 (8) | 0.846 |
| Home oxygenc | 14 (13) | 15 (14) | 0.884 |
Notes: Data were aMean (95% confidence interval), bMedian (interquartile range), cNumber (%). P-values were derived from equality of medians test for continuous non-parametric parameters, 2-tailed Students t-test for normally distributed parameters, or 2-tailed proportions z-test for categorical parameters. *Excluding airway clearance, home oxygen and theophylline. Two patients did not have pharmacotherapy data available, therefore in total for this section n=113. ^Includes all radiology, not just those conducted prior to the first LFT.