Baseline participant characteristics
| Intervention | Control | |
|---|---|---|
| N | 17 | 19 |
| Gender, M|F | 5|12 | 13|6 |
| Age (years), mean (95% CI) | 70.6 (65.8 to 75.4) | 71.1 (67.1 to 75.2) |
| Post-bronchodilator FEV1% predicted, mean (95% CI) | 55 (43.5 to 67.2) | 48 (40.2 to 55.3) |
| Post-bronchodilator FVC % predicted, mean (95% CI) | 71 (63.1 to 79.2) | 67 (59.3 to 73.6) |
| FER, mean (95% CI) | 0.59 (50.8 to 67.2) | 0.51 (50.8 to 67.2) |
| SGRQ (units), mean (95% CI) | 57 (51.5 to 63.4) | 50 (44.0 to 55.5) |
| Smoking status, never|ex|current | 0|15|2 | 0|15|4 |
| Charlson comorbidity index, mean (95% CI) | 4 (3.3 to 4.7) | 4.1 (3.7 to 4.5) |
| BMI (kg/m2), mean (95% CI) | 27.8 (24.1 to 31.5) | 28.4 (24.6 to 32.4) |
| CRP (mg/litre), median (IQR) | 5.3 (2.5–9.5) | 6 (2–9) |
| Sputum neutrophils (%), mean (95% CI) | 59 (43.3 to 74.7) | 59 (46.5 to 71.9) |
| Sputum eosinophils (%), median (IQR) | 2.25 (1–7) | 1.75 (0.5–2.65) |
BMI, body mass index; CRP, C-reactive protein; FER, forced expiratory ratio; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC, forced vital capacity; SGRQ, St George's Respiratory Questionnaire.