Cohort characteristics
| Sex, n (%) | |
| Male | 112 (45) |
| Female | 138 (55) |
| Ethnicity (%) | |
| European | 197 (79) |
| Maori | 43 (17) |
| Other | 10 (4) |
| Age, mean in years (SD) | 71.7 (10.6) |
| European | 73 (10.3) |
| Maori | 67 (9.9) |
| Smoking status (%) | |
| Current smoker | 83 (33) |
| Ex-smoker | 159 (63) |
| Never | 8 (3.2) |
| Lung function—mean (SD) | |
| FEV1 (litres) | 0.81 (0.34) |
| FEV1 (% predicted)* | 35 (15) |
| FEV1/FVC (%) | 44 (14) |
| BMI—mean (SD) | 25.3 kg/m2 (7.0) |
| Co-morbidities, n (%) | |
| Renal insufficiency | 22 (8.8) |
| Malignancy | 23 (9.2) |
| Cardiovascular disease | 75 (30.1) |
| Cerebral vascular disease | 28 (11.2) |
| Liver disease | 2 (0.8) |
| None of the above | 141 (56.6) |
| Treatment, n (%) | |
| Systemic corticosteroids | 245 (98) |
| Antimicrobial therapy | 241 (96) |
| Bronchodilating agents | 250 (100) |
| Non-invasive ventilation | 24 (9.6) |
| Ventilation via endotracheal tube | 2 (1) |
| Intensive/high dependency care admission | 15 (6.0) |
* Predicted reference, European Respiratory Society recommended reference equations 1993.15