Patients n | Data | |
Age yrs | 780 | 72.5±11.8 |
Male sex | 784 | 70.0 |
Pre-hospital care | 794 | 21.5 |
Self-referral | 781 | 20.5 |
Current/ex-smokers | 734 | 30.8/ 49.9 |
Cumulative tobacco smoking pack-yrs | 734 | 46.4±30.0 |
Occupational exposure to gas, fumes, dusts | 721 | 28.3 |
Known COPD# | 721 | 84.6 |
Age at beginning of exertional dyspnoea yrs | 652 | 53.3±17.8 |
Baseline dyspnoea grade | 701 | |
0–1 | 22.5 | |
2–3 | 46.2 | |
4–5 | 31.3 | |
Previous lung function test | 748 | 69.9 |
Usual follow-up | 763 | |
Respiratory physician | 40.8 | |
General practitioner | 34.3 | |
Both | 16.5 | |
None | 8.4 | |
Usual maintenance treatment | 767 | |
β2-agonists | 69.6 | |
Anticholinergic agents | 37.5 | |
Inhaled corticosteroids | 43.8 | |
Oral corticosteroids | 13.8 | |
Long-term oxygen therapy | 23.2 |
Data are presented as mean±sd or percentage. Total number of recruited patients, n = 794. COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. #: including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.