Table 1

Demographic data and clinical characteristics of study subjects

Characteristic	Non-smoking controls (N=7)	Normal smoker controls (N=12)	Patients with COPD
Characteristic	Non-smoking controls (N=7)	Normal smoker controls (N=12)	GOLD I (N=10)	GOLD II (N=20)	GOLD III (N=14)
Age (years)	62.7±1.77	53.2±4.09	74.7±3.28^,*	68.9±1.82^,*	67.8±2.54^,*
Sex (% male)	42.8	100	80	85	92.85
Smoking (pack-years)	0	25.8±2.11	39.0±6.04*	43.4±7.39	27.9±5.8
Ex-smoker (n)	0	3	8	16	13
ICS/LABA (n)	0	0	6	11	6
FEV₁/FVC (%)	81.3±0.87	78.8±1.21	59.06±3.09^,*	54.94±2.22^,*	38.46±2.69^,*
Postbronchodilator FEV₁ (% predicted)	97.45±3.3	102.1±4.15	101.4±5.47	68.68±1.88^,*	40.94±2.13,*
Prebronchodilator FEV₁ (l)	1.92±0.15	2.62±0.08	1.70±0.16^,*	1.35±0.07^,*	0.92±0.06^,*
FEV₁ reversibility (%)	0.62±0.81	2.72±0.89	7.31±2.01	7.71±1.75	7.9±2.71*
Total cell count (×10⁶)	0.80±0.06	1.01±0.13	1.26±0.22	1.54±0.15^,*	1.43±0.31**
Macrophage number (×10⁶)	0.34±0.088	0.32±0.042**	0.30±0.05**	0.28±0.053**	0.198±0.022^,*
Macrophages (%)	43.46±11.36	34.64±4.57**	25.82±3.4**	21.13±4.22^,*	17.16±2.01^,*
Neutrophil number (×10⁶)	0.44±0.10	0.66±0.12**	0.9±0.18**	1.2±0.15^,*	1.20±0.3^,*
Neutrophils (%)	54.4±11.56	63.56±4.42**	69.74±4.46**	76.26±4.23^,*	80.72±2.0^,*
Eosinophil number (×10⁶)	0.004±0.002	0.02±0.005**	0.024±0.008**	0.02±0.005	0.02±0.008**
Eosinophils (%)	0.57±0.27	2.22±0.49**	1.76±0.53**	1.38±0.25	2.04±0.62**
Lymphocyte number (×10⁶)	0.0043±0.002	0.0±0.0	0.0±0.0	0.001±0.0008	0.0±0.0
Lymphocytes (%)	0.56±0.24	0.0±0.0	0.0±0.0	0.089±0.05	0.0±0.0
Epithelial cell number (×10⁶)	0.007±0.003	0.0±0.0	0.017±0.01	0.007±0.002	0.0007±0.0007
Epithelial cells (%)	1.004±0.54	0.0±0.0	1.84±1.22	0.51±0.16	0.05±0.05

Data presented as means±SEM unless otherwise indicated.
*p<0.05 vs smoking controls.
**p<0.05 vs non-smoking controls.
COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; GOLD, Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease.