| All patients | GOLD stage | |||
| I/II | III | IV | ||
| Subjects n | 106 | 38 | 26 | 42 |
| Clinical characteristics | ||||
| Age years | 61.3±7.7 | 61.2±8.0 | 59.8±9.4 | 62.3±6.2 |
| Male/female n | 70/36 | 27/11 | 14/12 | 29/13 |
| Body mass index kg·m−2 | 26.9±6.9** | 30.2±7.5 | 26.4±6.5 | 24.2±5.2 |
| Smoking pack-years | 40±24 | 38±26 | 37±26 | 44±24 |
| Current smokers | 21 (20)** | 14 (36) | 2 (8) | 5 (12) |
| Antihypertensive drug | 51 (48) | 19 (50) | 11 (42) | 21 (50) |
| β-blocker | 15 (14) | 9 (24) | 1 (4) | 5 (12) |
| Cholesterol-lowering drug | 29 (27) | 13 (34) | 4 (15) | 12 (29) |
| Combined inhaled LABA and steroid | 65 (61)** | 13 (34) | 16 (62) | 36 (85) |
| Arterial hypertension# | 45 (42) | 20 (53) | 12 (46) | 13 (31) |
| Diabetes | 11 (10) | 4 (11) | 4 (15) | 3 (7) |
| Coronary artery disease | 20 (19) | 7 (18) | 4 (15) | 9 (21) |
| Peripheral artery disease | 13 (12) | 2 (5) | 3 (12) | 8 (19) |
| Pocock risk score¶ | 2.1±2.1 | 2.2±2.5 | 1.7±1.5 | 2.2±2.0 |
| Lung function | ||||
| FEV1 % pred | 44.6±22.3** | 71.5±12.1 | 36.8±5.6 | 25.0±4.9 |
| FVC % pred | 78.4±18.3** | 92.9±13.3 | 79.8±15.2 | 64.5±12.8 |
| TLC % pred | 112.8±24.8** | 95.4±15.6 | 120.7±22.9 | 122.8±24.6 |
| RV/TLC ratio | 55.7±13.4** | 41.8±7.3 | 58.0±9.3 | 66.1±8.4 |
| DLCO % pred | 49.7±25.9** | 76.3±23.9 | 42.0±12.7 | 32.3±12.2 |
| Blood gas analysis | ||||
| PaO2 kPa | 9.2±1.85** | 10.1±1.9 | 8.8±1.3 | 8.7±1.9 |
| PaCO2 kPa | 5.1±0.70** | 4.7±0.8 | 5.0±0.6 | 5.5±0.7 |
| Sympathetic activity | ||||
| Heart rate L·min−1 | 81.4±12.8** | 75.6±11.4 | 83.0±8.3 | 85.6±14.6 |
| Systolic blood pressure mmHg | 125.2±15.9 | 127.4±15.2 | 122.2±12.2 | 125.1±18.3 |
| Diastolic blood pressure mmHg | 78.6±10.6 | 77.7±11.6 | 79.9±9.7 | 78.7±10.9 |
| Baroreflex sensitivity ms·mmHg−1 | 4.2±2.9** | 5.5±3.4 | 4.1±3.1 | 3.1±1.7 |
| Laboratory parameters | ||||
| Total cholesterol mmol·L−1 | 5.2±1.1 | 4.9±1.1 | 5.3±1.1 | 5.3±1.1 |
| hsCRP mg·L−1 | 2.9±2.9 | 3.3±3.4 | 2.9±3.1 | 2.2±2.2 |
| Interleukin-6 pg·mL−1 | 3.4±3.3 | 3.4±3.3 | 2.5±2.4 | 4.0±3.8 |
| Malondialdehyde nmol·mL−1 | 2.7±5.9 | 1.8±4.0 | 3.6±6.6 | 3.0±6.9 |
| Haemoglobin g·dL−1 | 14.4±1.5 | 14.3±1.8 | 14.5±1.4 | 14.4±1.4 |
| Physical activity | ||||
| 6-min walking distance m | 398±141** | 493±132 | 377±98 | 328±128 |
| Steps per 24 h+ | 5442±3989** | 7744±4908 | 4798±2492 | 3800±2684 |
Data are presented as mean±sd or n (%), unless otherwise stated. GOLD: Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; LABA: long-acting β2-agonist; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; % pred: % predicted; FVC: forced vital capacity; TLC: total lung capacity; RV: residual volume; DLCO: diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide; PaO2: arterial oxygen tension; PaCO2: arterial carbon dioxide tension; hsCRP: high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. #: blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg; ¶: approximated percentage risk of 5-year mortality from cardiovascular disease; +: mean number of steps walked per 24 h in seven consecutive days. **: p<0.01 for comparison of differences between groups.