Patient characteristics between asymmetrical and symmetrical acute exacerbation
| Asymmetrical AE | Symmetrical AE | p-value | |
| Subjects n | 13 | 46 | |
| Age years | 74.2±8.1 | 71.0±8.1 | 0.21 |
| Male | 10 (76.9) | 44 (95.7) | 0.07 |
| Smoking history | 3 (60.0) | 21 (91.3) | 0.14 |
| FVC before AE % predicted | 70.2±17.6 | 71.3±23.3 | 0.70 |
| DLCO before AE % predicted | 34.6±20.5 | 38.0±16.2 | 0.32 |
| Treatment before AE | |||
| LTOT | 4 (30.8) | 19 (41.3) | 0.54 |
| Corticosteroids | 2 (15.4) | 18 (39.1) | 0.18 |
| Immunosuppressive agents | 0 (0.0) | 10 (21.7) | 0.10 |
| WBC ×103·µL−1 | 10 120±4720 | 10 590±4020 | 0.43 |
| D-dimer µg·mL−1 | 4.7±5.3 | 5.3±6.7 | 1.00 |
| CRP mg·dL−1 | 5.7±4.6 | 6.7±6.8 | 0.96 |
| LDH IU·L−1 | 347±88 | 389±252 | 0.82 |
| KL-6 U·mL−1 | 1607±1074 | 1805±1335 | 0.54 |
| P/F<200 | 8 (61.5) | 18 (42.9) | 0.34 |
| BAL performed | 1 (7.7) | 10 (21.7) | 0.43 |
| Parenchymal opacities % | 32.6±14.5 | 42.7±14.6 | 0.04* |
| Ground-glass opacities % | 24.1±14.4 | 37.0±14.2 | <0.01* |
| Consolidation % | 8.6±9.2 | 5.7±7.0 | 0.18 |
| Reticulation/honeycombing % | 16.5±11.3 | 14.3±12.4 | 0.41 |
| Emphysema % | 11.7±13.1 | 5.7±9.0 | 0.07 |
| Bronchiectasis in parenchymal opacities | 6 (47.5) | 22 (47.8) | 1.00 |
| Treatment of AE | |||
| High-dose corticosteroids | 13 (100) | 46 (100) | – |
| Antibiotics | 13 (100) | 45 (97.8) | 1.00 |
| Immunosuppressive agents | 4 (30.8) | 26 (56.5) | 0.13 |
| Non-invasive ventilation | 3 (23.1) | 11 (23.9) | 1.00 |
| 180-day mortality % | 30.8 | 68.2 | 0.03* |
The data are presented as mean±sd or n (%), unless otherwise indicated. AE: acute exacerbation; FVC: forced vital capacity; DLCO: diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide; LTOT: long-term oxygen therapy; WBC: white blood cell; CRP: C-reactive protein; LDH: lactate dehydrogenase; KL-6: Krebs von den Lungen-6; P/F: the ratio of partial pressure of arterial oxygen to the fraction of inspired oxygen; BAL: bronchoalveolar lavage. *: p<0.05.