Characteristics of patients applying for benefits due to disability according to respiratory disease and sex, and the number of deaths
| Groups | Subjects n | Asthma | COPD | ||
| Males | Females | Males | Females | ||
| Subjects n | 1148 | 104 | 175 | 494 | 375 |
| Age yrs | 1148 | 46.4±19.0 | 47.1±11.1 | 57.7±8.5 | 55.0±6.9 |
| FEV1 % predicted | 1145 | 64.4±20.4 | 71.4±21.8 | 43.4±17.4 | 45.2±15.8 |
| GOLD# | 1148 | ||||
| Stage II moderate % | 33.4 | 38.7 | |||
| Stage III severe % | 39.7 | 41.6 | |||
| Stage IV very severe % | 26.9 | 19.7 | |||
| FVC % predicted | 1142 | 79.0±16.6 | 82.4±18.0 | 63.2±16.1 | 64.9±16.5 |
| BMI kg·m−2 | 1130 | 25.6±4.7 | 25.9±5.4 | 25.8±5.5 | 23.7±5.6 |
| Smoking status % | 1117 | ||||
| Never | 20.0 | 32.7 | 2.3 | 4.1 | |
| Ex | 33.0 | 27.3 | 23.1 | 25.3 | |
| 1–15 cigarettes | 25.0 | 22.4 | 18.6 | 29.2 | |
| >15 cigarettes | 22.0 | 17.6 | 56.1 | 41.4 | |
| Pack-yrs median (min–max) | 1102 | 18.0 (0–66) | 6 (0–49) | 36 (0–99) | 30 (0–75) |
| Chronic bronchitis % | 1148 | 17.3 | 17.7 | 83.2 | 85.3 |
| Dyspnoea on effort % | 1148 | 79.8 | 83.4 | 96.8 | 97.9 |
| Attack of dyspnoea % | 1148 | 76.0 | 79.4 | 12.8 | 20 |
| Dyspnoea at rest % | 1148 | 7.7 | 6.3 | 3.8 | 7.5 |
| Nocturnal dyspnoea % | 1148 | 41.3 | 51.4 | 12.3 | 16.5 |
| Prednisolone p.o. % | 1146 | 18.3 | 16.6 | 6.7 | 5.3 |
| Inhaled steroid % | 1146 | 53.8 | 64.6 | 14.6 | 22.4 |
| β2-agonist % | 1146 | 84.6 | 88.0 | 52.8 | 62.1 |
| Inhaled ipratropium % | 1146 | 7.7 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 8.3 |
| Theophylline % | 1146 | 32.7 | 46.3 | 28.5 | 33.1 |
| Ischaemic heart disease % | 1148 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 10.7 | 3.5 |
| Cor pulmonale % | 1148 | 1 | 0.6 | 4.9 | 4.3 |
| Period of examination (I/II/III) | 1148 | 30.8/40.4/26.0 | 36.6/34.9/28.6 | 42.9/34.8/22.3 | 39.2/34.7/26.1 |
| Deaths n (%) | 1148 | 41 (39.4) | 55 (31.4) | 391 (79.1) | 280 (74.7) |
Data are presented as mean±sd, unless otherwise stated. COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second; GOLD: Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; FVC: forced vital capacity; BMI: body mass index; Period I: 1977–1983; Period II: 1984–1989; Period III: 1990–1996. #: classification of severity of COPD according to GOLD 13.