Baseline characteristics of the patients
| Subjects n | 294 |
| Sex M/F | 285/9 |
| Age yrs | 66 (51–79) |
| Current smokers % | 18 |
| BMI kg·m-2 | 27 (19–36) |
| 6MWD m | 388 (160–600) |
| FEV1 L | 1.13 (0.64–2.22) |
| FEV1 % pred | 39 (20–70) |
| GOLD and ATS/ERS staging | |
| Stage I | 4 (1) |
| Stage II | 81 (28) |
| Stage III | 136 (46) |
| Stage IV | 73 (25) |
| IC/TLC | 0.28 (0.16–0.42) |
| Charlson index | 4 (1–7) |
Data are presented as n, median (5th–95th percentile) or n (%), unless otherwise stated. M: male; F: female; BMI: body mass index; 6MWD: 6-min walking distance; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second; % pred: % predicted; GOLD: Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; ATS: American Thoracic Society; ERS: European Respiratory Society; IC: inspiratory capacity; TLC: total lung capacity.