Patient characteristics at baseline
| Characteristics | Moderate‐to‐severe FEV1 <50% pred | Mild FEV1 ≥50% pred | ||
| Placebo | FP | Placebo | FP | |
| Subjects n | 195 | 196 | 179 | 180 |
| Age yrs | 64±7 | 64±6 | 63±8 | 63±8 |
| Male % | 81 | 86 | 66 | 63 |
| Smoking history | ||||
| Pack-yrs | 48±36 | 47±30 | 39±31 | 42±30 |
| Current smokers % | 38 | 32 | 41 | 41 |
| Exsmokers % | 48 | 51 | 44 | 43 |
| Intermittent % | 14 | 17 | 16 | 16 |
| Atopy# % | 14 | 13 | 11 | 14 |
| FEV1¶ L | 1.0±0.2 | 1.0±0.3 | 1.6±0.5 | 1.6±0.5 |
| FEV1% pred | 39±8 | 39±8 | 62±10 | 62±10 |
| % FEV1 reversibility+ | 4.1±3.4 | 4.2±3.4 | 4.8±3.4 | 4.6±3.6 |
Data are presented as mean±sd
FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second
FP: fluticasone propionate
% pred: % predicted
#: atopy defined as positive skin-prick test to one or more common allergens
¶: prebronchodilator FEV1
+: change in FEV1 after bronchodilator expressed as % pred. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) between the treatment groups, within each severity category, for any variable. Except for proportionally more females in the mild compared to the moderate‐to‐severe group (p<0.001) and more pack-yrs smoked in the moderate-severe group