Baseline characteristics of 146 patients enrolled during acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD)
| Demographics | Comorbidities | Medications | |||
| Age years | 71.8±10.4 | Bronchiectasis | 16 (10.3) | LAMA | 133 (85.8) |
| Male | 97 (62.6) | OSA | 14 (9.0) | LABA | 129 (83.2) |
| BMI kg·m−2 | 24.8±6.5 | Hypertension | 71 (45.8) | ICS | 126 (81.3) |
| FEV1 L | 1.1±0.5 | AF/flutter | 19 (12.3) | OCSƒ | 13 (8.4) |
| FEV1 % pred | 45.2±18.6 | IHD | 43 (27.7) | Antibioticƒ | 5 (3.2) |
| TLCO % pred | 38.3±16.2 | Cardiac failure | 32 (20.6) | Antiplatelet | 55 (35.5) |
| LTOT | 19 (12) | CVD | 15 (9.7) | Anticoagulant | 18 (11.6) |
| mMRCD score median (interquartile range) | 4 (3–5) | Diabetes | 29 (18.7) | β-blocker | 19 (12.3) |
| Current smoker | 48 (31) | Malignancy¶ | 15 (9.7) | Ivabradine | 4 (2.6) |
| Former smoker | 117 (69) | Renal failure+ | 3 (1.9) | Ca2+RA | 13 (8.2) |
| Smoking history pack-years | 44±26 | Anxiety | 36 (23.2) | ACE-I/ARB | 52 (33.5) |
| AECOPDs in previous year | Depression | 35 (22.6) | Statin | 57 (36.8) | |
| Hospital | 1.5±2.3 | Alcohol misuse | 12 (7.7) | Loop diuretic | 33 (21.3) |
| Community | 1.7±2.5 | Substance misuse | 2 (1.3) | Benzodiazepine## | 20 (12.6) |
| Frequent exacerbator# | 46 (29.7) | Other psychiatric disorder§ | 3 (1.9) | Antidepressant/antipsychotic | 39 (24.5) |
Data are presented as mean±sd or n (%), unless otherwise stated. BMI: body mass index; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; TLCO: transfer factor of the lung for carbon monoxide; LTOT: long-term oxygen therapy; mMRCD: modified Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale; OSA: obstructive sleep apnoea; AF: atrial fibrillation; IHD: ischaemic heart disease; CVD: cerebrovascular disease; LAMA: long-acting muscarinic antagonist; LABA: long-acting β2-agonist; ICS: inhaled corticosteroid; OCS: oral corticosteroid; Ca2+RA: calcium receptor antagonist; ACE-I: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor; ARB: angiotensin receptor blocker. #: two or more AECOPD hospitalisations in the previous year; ¶: receiving treatment or palliation; +: estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 mL·min−1; §: bipolar affective disorder, schizophrenia or post-traumatic stress disorder; ƒ: maintenance; ##: excluding nocte temazepam.