Baseline characteristics
| AECOPD (n=102) | Clinically stable (n=88) | |
| Gender male (%) | 44 (43.1) | 56 (63.6) |
| Age, years | 68.8 (10.4) | 69 (12.5) |
| Current smoking n (%) | 32 (31.4) | 20 (23.5) |
| Pack-years | 38.3 (18.4) | 37.8 (15.1) |
| FEV1 % pred | 46.8 (16.9) | 54.2 (16.6) |
| FVC % pred | 84.1 (21.7) | 91.5 (16.5) |
| FEV1/FVC % | 41.1 (12.4) | 44.3 (11.6) |
| GOLD classification | ||
| Stage I n (%) | 7 (6.9) | 7 (8.0) |
| Stage II n (%) | 35 (34.3) | 42 (47.7) |
| Stage III n (%) | 45 (44.1) | 37 (42.0) |
| Stage IV n (%) | 15 (14.7) | 2 (2.3) |
| number of exacerbations last year median (IQR) | 1 (1–2) | 0 (0–1) |
All data are represented as mean (SD) unless specified otherwise.
AECOPD, acute exacerbation of COPD; FEV1, forced expiratory volume 1 s; FVC, forced vital capacity; GOLD, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease.