Comparison of inflammatory markers in induced and spontaneous sputum in a cohort of COPD patients

Respiratory Research

Table 1 Characteristics of the study population

	n	%
*Patients*	45
Age, mean (range) ^*	63.4 (46-74)
Sex
Women	15	33
Men	30	67
Smoking habits
Ex	30	67
Current	15	33
GOLD (2007) stage ^*
II	15	33
III	24	53
IV	6	13
Patients with one sputum pair ^**	36	80
Patients with multiple sputum pairs	9	20
*Sputum pairs*	60
stable state	31	52
during exacerbation	29	48
H.influenza positive ^†
No	12
Yes	12

^*At inclusion.
^**Consisting of one spontaneous and one induced sputum sample.
^†Detected in induced and/or spontaneous sputum sampled from stable state visits, and/or exacerbations.

ISSN: 1465-993X