Table 2 Characteristics of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), for the total sample (n = 352), for each of the four profiles identified and for the longitudinal subsample (n = 90)

Age, years

68 (61–74)

71 (67–78)^b,d

66 (58–71)^a,c,d

72 (69–78)^b,d

59 (54–64)^a,b,c

 < 0.001

68 (62–72)

0.945

Sex, n (%)

0.1373

0.1569

 Male

275 (78.1)

65 (84.4)

69 (74.2)

86 (81.9)

55 (71.4)

77 (85.6)

 Female

77 (21.9)

12 (15.6)

24 (25.8)

19 (18.1)

22 (28.6)

13 (14.4)

AECOPD, n/per year

0 (0–1)

1 (0–2)^d

1 (0–3)^c,d

0 (0–1)^b

0 (0–1)^a,b

 < 0.001

0 (0–1)

0.180

CCI, score

4 (3–5)

5 (3–5)^b,d

4 (3–4)^a,c,d

4 (4–5)^b,d

3 (2–3)^a,b,c

 < 0.001

3 (3–4)

0.109

Medication use, n (%)

276 (83.1)

61 (84.7)

79 (91.9)

84 (84.0)

52 (70.3)

0.003

66 (73.3)

0.252

SABA

37 (11.4)

10 (14.3)

15 (17.6)

7 (7.1)

5 (6.9)

10 (11.1)

LABA

53 (16.3)

13 (18.6)

19 (22.4)

18 (18.4)

3 (4.2)

11 (12.2)

SAMA

16 (4.9)

4 (5.7)

9 (10.6)

3 (3.1)

0 (0.0)

2 (2.2)

LAMA

90 (27.7)

26 (37.1)

23 (27.1)

27 (27.6)

14 (19.4)

19 (21.1)

LABA/LAMA combination

98 (30.2)

18 (25.7)

31 (36.5)

30 (30.6)

19 (26.4)

31 (34.4)

ICS

38 (11.7)

7 (10.0)

14 (16.5)

11 (11.2)

6 (8.3)

13 (14.4)

ICS/LABA combination

121 (37.2)

31 (44.3)

32 (37.6)

35 (35.7)

23 (31.9)

30 (33.3)

LTRA

16 (4.9)

5 (7.2)

3 (3.5)

5 (5.1)

3 (4.2)

4 (4.4)

Xanthines

27 (8.3)

14 (20.0)

6 (7.1)

3 (3.1)

4 (5.6)

3 (3.3)

Mucolytics

22 (6.8)

5 (7.1)

9 (10.6)

7 (7.1)

1 (1.4)

8 (8.9)

NIV, n (%)

45 (12.8)

27 (35.1)

7 (7.5)

10 (9.5)

1 (1.3)

 < 0.001

12 (13.5)

1.000

LTOT, n (%)

46 (13.1)

24 (31.2)

19 (20.4)

1 (1.0)

2 (2.6)

 < 0.001

13 (14.6)

0.8363

Pulmonary traits

Lung function

 FEV₁, % of predicted

55.0 (40.8–70.3)

41 (32–49)^b,c,d

47 (36–66)^a,c,d

69 (57–80)^a,b,d

62 (44–75)^a,b,c

 < 0.001

49.0 (37.0–62.0)

0.075

 FVC, % of predicted

80 (66.0–93.8)

64 (53.5–70.0)^b,c,d

78 (63.0–90.3)^a,c

93 (80.0–105.5)^a,b,d

81 (68.5–96.0)^a,c

 < 0.001

78.0 (63.0–91.0)

0.641

 FEV₁/FVC

56.2 (44.1–65.0)

50.3 (41.2–61.9)^c,d

51.4 (38.7–62.7)^c,d

59.1 (50–65.1)^a,b

61.7 (50.2–68)^a,b

 < 0.001

50.0 (42.0–59.2)

0.008

GOLD grades, n (%)

 < 0.001

0.196

 1

49 (13.9)

0 (0)

7 (7.5)

28 (26.7)

14 (18.2)

10 (11.1)

 2

159 (45.2)

18 (23.4)

39 (41.9)

65 (61.9)

37 (48.1)

34 (37.8)

 3

111 (31.5)

45 (58.4)

34 (36.6)

12 (11.4)

20 (26.0)

34 (37.8)

 4

33 (9.4)

14 (18.2)

13 (14.0)

0 (0)

6 (7.8)

11 (12.2)

GOLD groups, n (%)

 < 0.001

0.003

 A

85 (24.1)

7 (9.1)

0 (0)

42 (40.0)

36 (46.8)

22 (24.4)

 B

166 (47.2)

42 (54.5)

51 (54.8)

41 (39.0)

32 (41.6)

45 (50.0)

 C

22 (6.3)

6 (7.8)

1 (1.1)

11 (10.5)

4 (5.2)

4 (4.4)

 D

79 (22.4)

22 (28.6)

41 (44.1)

11 (10.5)

5 (6.5)

18 (20.0)

Extrapulmonary traits—physical

 BMI, kg/m²

26.4 (23.8–29.8)

29.7 (26.2–33.2)^b,d

24.7 (22.4–27.9)^a,c

27.7 (25.2–30.5)^b,d

24.6 (22–27)^a,c

 < 0.001

26.0 (23.9–29.8)

0.540

  < 21, n (%)

30 (8.5)

0 (0)

13 (14.0)

3 (2.9)

14 (18.2)

 < 0.001

10 (11.1)

0.765

  > 30, n (%)

85 (24.1)

35 (45.5)

14 (15.1)

30 (28.6)

6 (7.8)

19 (21.1)

 QMS, kgF

26.2 (20.4–31.6)

25.7 (18.3–30.8)^d

23.9 (18.2–29.6)^d

26 (21–30.3)

28.6 (24–33.2)^a,b

0.002

31.0 (23.9–36.2)

0.000

  < 70% of predicted, n (%)

174 (49.4)

48 (62.3)

49 (52.7)

45 (42.9)

32 (41.6)

0.026

15 (16.7)

 < 0.001

 1minSTS, repetitions

27 (20.8–34.0)

23 (18–27)^c,d

22 (17–28)^c,d

28 (23–34)^*

36 (30–44)^*

 < 0.001

26.5 (22.0–33.0)

0.800

  < 70% of predicted, n (%)

133 (37.8)

40 (51.9)

56 (60.2)

24 (23.3)

13 (16.9)

 < 0.001

25 (27.8)

0.131

Extrapulmonary traits – symptoms and health status

 CAT, score

14 (8–20)

15 (11–19)^*

23 (19–27)^*

9 (6–14)^a,b

9 (6–13)^a,b

 < 0.001

14.0 (8.0–21.0)

0.702

  ≥ 10, n (%)

245 (69.6)

64 (83.1)

92 (98.9)

52 (49.5)

37 (48.1)

 < 0.001

58 (64.4)

0.347

  ≥ 18, n (%)

110 (31.3)

23 (29.9)

77 (82.8)

9 (8.6)

1 (1.3)

 < 0.001

24 (26.7)

0.399

 mMRC, score

2 (1–2)

2 (2–3)^c,d

3 (2–3)^c,d

1 (1–2)^a,b

1 (0–1)^a,b

 < 0.001

1 (1–2)

0.984

  ≥ 2, n (%)

183 (52.0)

64 (83.1)

81 (87.1)

29 (27.6)

9 (11.7)

 < 0.001

43 (47.8)

0.536

HADS, score

 HADS-A

6 (3–9)

5 (3–7)^b

10 (6–12)^*

5 (3–7)^b

5 (3–7)^b

 < 0.001

6.5 (4.2–12.2)

0.243

 HADS-A ≥ 8, n (%)

118 (33.5)

18 (23.4)

61 (65.6)

24 (22.9)

15 (19.5)

 < 0.001

24 (26.7)

0.591

 HADS-D

6 (3–9)

6 (3–9)^b,d

9 (6–11)^*

5 (3–8)^b,d

3 (2–5)^*

 < 0.001

6.0 (3.0–7.0)

0.697

 HADS-D ≥ 8, n (%)

125 (35.5)

29 (37.7)

58 (62.4)

30 (28.6)

8 (10.4)

 < 0.001

21 (23.3)

0.130

SGRQ, score

 Symptoms

59.3 (± 24.1)

69.4 (± 14.2)^c,d

76.1 (± 12.6)^c,d

42.7 (± 20.1)^a,b

35.3 (± 22.8)^a,b

 < 0.001

48.0 (± 22.2)

0.981

 Activities

35.7 (± 21.1)

41.3 (± 14.9)*

51.4 (± 14.9)*

24.6 (± 18.5)*

13.0 (± 10.8)*

 < 0.001

55.5 (± 26.2)

0.397

 Impact

41.7 (± 19.0)

49.5 (± 12.5)*

61.0 (± 11.3)*

31.2 (± 13.7)*

24.8 (± 12.2)*

 < 0.001

31.7 (± 22.4)

0.356

 Total

48.1 (± 22.1)

49.9 (± 17.0)^b,c

63.9 (± 15.6)^*

30.9 (± 19.4)^a,b

37.0 (± 20.5)^b

 < 0.001

41.5 (± 21.6)

0.953

 Total ≥ 25, n (%)

271 (77.0)

75 (97.4)

93 (100)

69 (65.7)

34 (44.2)

 < 0.001

71 (78.9)

0.695

 Total ≥ 46, n (%)

153 (43.5)

45 (58.4)

86 (92.5)

18 (17.1)

4 (5.2)

 < 0.001

34 (37.8)

0.412

Extrapulmonary traits—behavioural

 Smoking status, n (%)

 < 0.001

0.192

 Current

52 (14.8)

6 (7.8)

13 (14.0)

9 (8.6)

24 (31.2)

12 (13.3)

 Former

221 (62.8)

52 (67.5)

57 (61.3)

66 (62.9)

46 (59.7)

65 (72.2)

 Never

79 (22.4)

19 (24.7)

23 (24.7)

30 (28.6)

7 (9.1)

13 (14.4)

 Pack-years

32.3 (2.9–60)

48 (0.1–87.5)

28 (2–52)

30 (0–52.5)

30 (15–45)

0.112

50.0 (30.0–90.0)

 < 0.001

 BPAAT, score

1 (0–4)

0 (0–4)^d

0 (0–4)

1 (0–4)

2 (0–4)^a

0.003

1 (0.5–4)

 < 0.001

 Insufficiently active, n (%)

242 (69.1)

54 (70.1)

68 (73.9)

74 (71.2)

46 (59.7)

0.221

61 (68.5)

0.912

 Sufficiently active, n (%)

108 (30.9)

23 (29.9)

24 (26.1)

30 (28.8)

31 (40.3)

28 (31.5)