Effects of acetylcysteine on micro-inflammation and pulmonary ventilation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the participants, n (%)

Variable	Treatment group (n = 50)	Control group (n = 50)	P value
Age (yr)	64.2 ± 8.7	63.8 ± 9.2	0.82
Sex (male/female)	32/18	31/19	0.88
Smoking history (pack-years)	28.4 ± 12.6	27.8 ± 13.2	0.79
BMI (kg/m2)	23.5 ± 3.2	23.7 ± 3.4	0.76
Comorbidities
Hypertension	18 (36.0)	16 (32.0)	0.67
Diabetes	12 (24.0)	14 (28.0)	0.59
Coronary heart disease	10 (20.0)	11 (22.0)	0.79
GOLD stage
II	18 (36.0)	17 (34.0)	0.83
III	22 (44.0)	23 (46.0)	0.85
IV	10 (20.0)	10 (20.0)	1.00
Anthonisen type
I	32 (64.0)	31 (62.0)	0.84
II	14 (28.0)	15 (30.0)	0.81
III	4 (8.0)	4 (8.0)	1.00
TCM syndrome score	18.6 ± 3.4	18.8 ± 3.6	0.78
Medication use
Bronchodilators	50 (100.0)	50 (100.0)	1.00
Corticosteroids	48 (96.0)	47 (94.0)	0.66
Antibiotics	46 (92.0)	45 (90.0)	0.72
Oxygen therapy	22 (44.0)	21 (42.0)	0.86

GOLD: Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; TCM: Traditional Chinese medicine; BMI: Body mass index.