| Characteristics | Tiotropium HandiHaler | Tiotropium Respimat |
| Number of patients n | 9226 | 2827 |
| Age years | 68.09±11.6 | 68.15±11.8 |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 4776 (51.8) | 1468 (51.9) |
| Female | 4450 (48.2) | 1359 (48.1) |
| Smoking history | 7132 (77.3) | 2180 (77.1) |
| COPD diagnosis | 8459 (91.7) | 2567 (90.8) |
| COPD duration years | 5.29±4.8 | 5.23±5.0 |
| COPD severity n | ||
| Antibiotics in 1 year prior | 0.47±1.0 | 0.64±1.2 |
| Systemic corticosteroids in 1 year prior | 0.61±1.5 | 0.96±2.2 |
| GP visits in the 1 year prior | 7.84±6.5 | 9.41±7.7 |
| Hospitalisation for COPD exacerbation in 1 year prior | 196±2.1 | 124±4.4 |
| Consultation with respiratory physician in 1 year prior | 2791±30.3 | 1285±45.5 |
| Comorbidity (medical history of any of the conditions) | ||
| Asthma | 2874 (31.1) | 872 (30.8) |
| Angina pectoris | 1218 (13.2) | 373 (13.2) |
| Ischaemic heart disease | 725 (7.9) | 257 (9.1) |
| Peripheral arterial disease | 1252 (13.6) | 430 (15.2) |
| Myocardial infarction | 650 (7.0) | 245 (8.7) |
| Stroke or TIA | 1572 (15.3) | 382 (18.5) |
| Heart failure | 952 (10.3) | 357 (12.6) |
| Arrhythmia | 878 (9.5) | 294 (10.4) |
| Hypertension | 3711 (40.2) | 1195 (42.3) |
| Dyslipidaemia (lipid disorders) | 1560 (16.9) | 572 (20.2) |
| Cancer | 1491 (16.2) | 529 (18.7) |
| Pneumonia (1 year before) | 650 (7.0) | 245 (8.7) |
| Parkinsonism | 79 (0.9) | 29 (1.0) |
| Depression | 1201 (13.0) | 379 (13.4) |
| Dementia | 155 (1.7) | 51 (1.8) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 1630 (17.7) | 547 (19.3) |
| Renal failure | 723 (7.8) | 266 (9.4) |
| Use of concomitant medication at start of prescription | ||
| Central nervous system drugs | ||
| Opioids | 500 (5.4) | 194 (6.9) |
| Hypnotic and sedatives | 898 (9.7) | 286 (10.1) |
| Anxiolytics | 945 (10.2) | 272 (9.6) |
| Antidepressants (SSRI) | 434 (4.7) | 149 (5.3) |
| Antipsychotics | 140 (1.5) | 34 (1.2) |
| Antiparkinson drugs | 61 (0.6) | 18 (0.9) |
| Anticholinergics | 335 (3.6) | 124 (4.4) |
| Antihistaminics | 480 (5.2) | 158 (5.6) |
| Drugs affecting cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease | ||
| Nitrates | 545 (5.9) | 193 (6.8) |
| Vitamin K antagonists | 803 (7.9) | 255 (9.0) |
| Lipid lowering drugs | 2450 (26.6) | 805 (28.5) |
| Antiplatelets | 2180 (23.6) | 727 (25.7) |
| Diuretics | 1981 (21.5) | 666 (23.6) |
| β-blockers | 2015 (21.8) | 637 (22.5) |
| CCB | 1219 (13.2) | 396 (14.0) |
| ACE inhibitors | 2686 (29.1) | 881 (31.2) |
| Anti-arrhythmic drugs | 147 (1.6) | 41 (1.5) |
| Other drugs | ||
| Corticosteroids | 932 (10.1) | 435 (15.4) |
| Antibiotics | 1914 (20.7) | 703 (24.9) |
| NSAIDs | 734 (8.7) | 223 (7.9) |
| Respiratory drugs | ||
| Mucolytics | 447 (4.8) | 173 (6.1) |
| LTRA | 180 (1.9) | 69 (2.4) |
| SAAC (Ipratropium) | 579 (6.3) | 320 (11.3) |
| SABA | 1597 (17.3) | 600 (21.2) |
| LABA | 3556 (38.5) | 1066 (37.7) |
| ICS | 3925 (42.5) | 1174 (41.5) |
| Xanthines | 101 (1.1) | 34 (1.2) |
Data are presented as n (%) or mean±sd, unless otherwise stated. COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; GP: general practitioner; TIA: transient ischaemic attack; SSRI: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; CCB: calcium channel blockers; ACE: angiotensin-converting enzyme; NSAID: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug; LTRA: leukotriene receptor antagonist; SAAC: short-acting anticholinergics; SABA: short-acting β-agonists; LABA: long-acting β-agonists; ICS: inhaled corticosteroids. Bold values are statistically significant different between tiotropium Respimat SMI against tiotropium HandiHaler.