Table 1 Patients’ baseline characteristics

Age, mean ± SD years

 Female

73.1 ± 9.1

74.4 ± 9.7

73.7 ± 9.2

 Male

73.4 ± 7.4

74.5 ± 6.1

74.0 ± 6.5

Sex, n

 Female

13

12

25

 Male

7

8

15

Number of comorbidities, mean ± SD

4.9 ± 2.7

3.9 ± 2.2

4.4 ± 2.5

Most frequent comorbidities, n

 Hypertension

7

7

14

 Osteoporosis

6

6

12

 Chronic respiratory failure

7

5

12

 Coronary heart disease

5

3

8

 Congestive heart failure

5

3

8

 Atrial fibrillation

6

2

8

Cause of hospitalization at time of recruitment to study: n

 COPD exacerbation

13

5

18

 COPD exacerbation with infection

4

9

13

 COPD exacerbation with lung embolism

0 (0)

1

1

 Chronic respiratory failure

0 (0)

1

1

 Planned CT-guided biopsy

3

3

6

 Sleep apnea test

0 (0)

1

1

 Fall

0 (0)

1

1

Number of patients admitted to the hospital** in the last 12 months n

17

14

31

Number of hospitalizations in the last 12 months, mean ± SD

3.1 ± 3.4

1.4 ± 1.4

2.2 ± 2.7

Number of hospitalizations caused by COPD exacerbation in the last 12 \months, mean ± SD

1.8 ± 2.5

0.8 ± 1.2

1.3 ± 2.0

Number of hospitalization days at initial admission, mean ± SD

8.2 ± 6,1

6.6 ± 4.5

7.4 ± 5.3

COPD-stage (GOLD-classification)

 Stage 2

2

5

7

 Stage 3

8

7

15

 Stage 4

6

6

12

 ACOS***

1

0

1

 Unknown

3

2

5

Number of inhalers, n

 One

1

4

5

 Two

7

10

17

 Three

12

6

18

Number of inhalers device*, n

 One

1

4

5

 Two

9

11

20

 Three

10

5

15

CAT-score median

29

24

24.5