Baseline characteristics and comorbidities of patients with stable COPD and control subjects
| Control group | COPD | p-value# | |
| Subjects n | 42 | 103 | |
| Demographic factors | |||
| Age years | 62.52±8.76 | 62.91±7.27 | 0.638 |
| Male sex n (%) | 40 (96) | 100 (97) | 0.723 |
| Current smokers n (%) | 20 (47.6) | 43 (41.7) | 0.452 |
| Pack-years | 30 (20–48) | 60 (50–80) | 0.001 |
| BMI | 29.4 (26.2–32.5) | 26.9 (24.7–29.7) | 0.015 |
| Spirometric parameters | |||
| FEV1 % | 97.74±15.98 | 55.80±16.85 | <0.001 |
| FEV1 L | 3.26 (2.66–3.56) | 1.56 (1.22–2.02) | <0.001 |
| FEV1/FVC % | 83 (78–86) | 61 (51–68) | 0.001 |
| RV | 101±14 | 114±25 | <0.001 |
| TLC | 93±10 | 87±14 | 0.007 |
| DLCOSB | 84±10 | 56±22 | 0.001 |
| Comorbidities | |||
| HEART score | 5 (3–7) | 5 (4–7) | 0.314 |
| Cardiovascular risk | 5 (4–5) | 5 (4–5) | 0.253 |
| Charlson comorbidity index | 3 (2–3) | 3 (2–3) | 0.129 |
| Arterial hypertension n (%) | 28 (66.7) | 58 (56.3) | 0.270 |
| Diabetes n (%) | 8 (19) | 19 (18.4) | 0.993 |
| Dyslipidaemia n (%) | 20 (47.6) | 37 (35.9) | 0.197 |
| Laboratory biomarkers | |||
| Neutrophils/μL | 4300 (3235–5280) | 5040 (4130–5940) | 0.018 |
| WBC/μL | 6970 (6065–8760) | 8030 (6590–9570) | 0.030 |
| ESR mm·h−1 | 15 (11–20) | 19 (13–27) | 0.010 |
| CRP mg·L−1 | 4 (2–5) | 4 (3–8) | 0.128 |
| Ferritin ng·mL−1 | 98 (38–159) | 108 (59–156) | 0.323 |
| Uric acid mg·dL−1 | 6 (5.1–7.2) | 5.9 (5.2–6.8) | 0.752 |
| LDL mg·dL−1 | 115.1±31.5 | 129.9±38.4 | 0.022 |
| Glucose mg·dL−1 | 98 (88–108) | 100 (91–113) | 0.162 |
| HbA1c % | 5.9 (5.55–6.25) | 5.8 (5.5–6.3) | 0.995 |
| Insulin mIU·L−1 | 7.2 (4.7–10.7) | 8 (4.7–12) | 0.515 |
| HOMA-IR | 1.6 (1.2–3.2) | 1.9 (1–3) | 0.972 |
n=145. All values are presented as mean±sd, median (interquartile range) or n (%). sd: standard deviation; BMI: body mass index; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC: forced vital capacity; RV: residual volume; TLC: total lung capacity; DLCOSB: diffusing capacity of lung for carbon monoxide; WBC: white blood cells; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP: C-reactive protein; LDL: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HbA1c %: glycated haemoglobin %; HOMA-IR: homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance. #: Mann–Whitney U-test.