Phenotypic Variation in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Primary Care
Table 1
Characteristics of 290 inactive patients with COPD treated in primary care.
Characteristic
Treated by GP only ()
Treated by GP and PT for COPD ()
value
Sex, male (%)
122 (52)
31 (57)
0.55
Age (yr), mean (SD)
70.29 (11.07)
70.87 (8.76)
0.72
Smoking (pack years), mean (SD)
31.14 (23.54)
40.90 (23.39)
0.001
GOLD stage, (%)
<0.0001
I
92 (52)
5 (11)
II
68 (39)
18 (39)
III
10 (6)
15 (33)
IV
6 (3)
8 (17)
Comorbidity, (%)
Cardiovascular
71 (44)
21 (39)
0.317
Cardiac
51 (22)
13 (24)
0.543
Vascular
21 (9)
11 (20)
0.020
Stroke
11 (5)
5 (9)
0.160
Respiratory (asthma)
26 (11)
5 (9)
0.456
Psychological (depression)
32 (14)
5 (9)
0.226
Metabolic (diabetes)
35 (15)
12 (22)
0.137
Nutritional
64 (27)
15 (28)
0.536
Exacerbations in the past year, (%)
0.001
0
127 (54)
16 (30)
1; of which hospitalised
55 (23); 7 (13)
12 (22); 4 (33)
2; of which hospitalised
24 (10); 1 (4)
9 (17); 1 (11)
3 or more; of which hospitalised
29 (12); 15 (52)
17 (32); 8 (47)
Disease-related health status (0–6), mean (SD)
Total CCQ
1.40 (0.95)
1.80 (0.95)
<0.0001
Symptoms subscale
1.85 (1.11)
2.35 (1.07)
0.004
Functional state subscale
1.32 (1.14)
2.40 (1.25)
<0.0001
Mental state subscale
0.68 (0.99)
0.92 (1.02)
0.038
General health perception (0–5), (%)
<0.0001
1, excellent
1 (1)
1 (2)
2, very good
8 (3)
0
3, good
96 (45)
9 (17)
4, moderate
90 (43)
35 (66)
5, poor
17 (8)
8 (15)
GP: general practitioner; PT: physical therapist; SD: standard deviation; GOLD: the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; GOLD stages: I: mild COPD, FEV1/FVC < 0.7, and FEV1 ≥ 80% of predicted; II: moderate COPD, FEV1/FVC < 0.7, and 50% ≤ FEV1 < 80% of predicted; III: severe COPD, FEV1/FVC < 0.7, and 30% ≤ FEV1 < 50% of predicted; IV: very severe COPD, FEV1/FVC < 0.7, and FEV1 < 30% of predicted or FEV1 < 50% of predicted plus chronic respiratory failure; FVC: postbronchodilator forced vital capacity; FEV1: postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in one second; CCQ: Clinical COPD Questionnaire: rating from 0 “good” to 6 “bad.”
