Table 4 Differences between colonised and non-colonised COPD patients according to bacterial load
From: Colour of sputum is a marker for bacterial colonisation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Variables | High bacterial load (≥105) (n = 36) | Low bacterial load (<105) and not colonised (n = 83) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
Sex, men, no. (%) | 33 (91.7) | 76 (91.6) | 0.98 |
Age, years, mean (SD) | 68.6 (6.9) | 67.7 (9.9) | 0.63 |
Current smokers, no. (%) | 6 (16.7) | 5 (6) | 0.086 |
Smoking, pack-years, mean (SD) | 48.5 (22.5) | 36.7 (25.2) | 0.017 |
Cardiovascular morbidity, no. (%) | 11 (30.6) | 31 (37.3) | 0.34 |
Comorbid conditions, mean (SD) | 0.86 (0.99) | 0.83 (1.02) | 0.88 |
Use of inhaled steroids, no (%) | 29 (80.6) | 64 (77.1) | 0.81 |
Symptoms, no. (%) | |||
Dyspnoea | 36 (100) | 78 (93.9) | 0.66 |
Cough | 25 (69.4) | 75 (90.4) | 0.007 |
Expectoration | 36 (100) | 79 (95.2) | 0.31 |
Grade of dyspnoea, mean (SD) | 1.86 (0.83) | 1.28 (0.73) | <0.001 |
Exacerbations in the previous year, no. (%) | |||
Number | 0.32 | ||
≤2 | 20 (55.6) | 58 (69.9) | |
>2 | 16 (44.4) | 25 (30.1) | |
Requiring hospital admission | 0.003 | ||
None | 20 (55.6) | 67 (80.7) | |
≤1 | 11 (30.6) | 15 (18.1) | |
>1 | 5 (13.9) | 1 (1.2) | |
Lung function tests, mean (SD) | |||
FVC, mL | 2936.9 (975.7) | 2712 (927.6) | 0.23 |
FVC, % | 71.9 (21.0) | 67.1 (18.4) | 0.21 |
FEV1, mL | 1423.9 (536.5) | 1382 (443.1) | 0.66 |
FEV1, % | 47.3 (15.9) | 45.8 (13.4) | 0.61 |
FEV1/FVC | 48.9 (11.2) | 52.7 (13.5) | 0.15 |
Sputum analysis | |||
Colour, mean (SD) | 2.97 (0.94) | 2.01 (1.08) | <0.001 |
Pro-inflammatory cytokines, median (IQR) in pg/mL | |||
IL-1, n = 53 | 47 (5-593) | 29 (4-255) | 0.14 |
IL-6, n = 53 | 134 (39-381) | 169 (34-415) | 0.18 |
IL-8, n = 61 | 8060 (460-31400) | 4890 (201-15025) | 0.09 |
TNF-alpha, n = 54 | 76 (11-269) | 38 (11-71) | 0.96 |