Baseline Characteristics for Each Subgroup
| Characteristic | COPD (n = 65) | Asthma (n = 62) | T2D (n = 60) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male sex, No. (%) | 39 (60.0) | 19 (30.6) | 30 (50.0) |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 66 (6.9) | 56 (13.4) | 66 (9.5) |
| Highest level of education, No. (%)a | |||
| Lowb | 26 (40.0) | 18 (29.0) | 29 (48.3) |
| Middlec | 3 (4.6) | 10 (16.1) | 6 (10.0) |
| Highd | 36 (55.4) | 34 (54.8) | 25 (41.7) |
| Diagnosed since, No. (%), y | |||
| <1 | 1 (1.5) | 1 (1.6) | 1 (1.7) |
| 1-3 | 4 (6.2) | 4 (6.5) | … |
| >3 | 60 (92.3 | 57 (91.9) | … |
| 1-15 | … | … | 40 (66.7) |
| >15 | … | … | 19 (31.7) |
| Smoking status, No. (%) | |||
| Never | 6 (9.2) | 34 (54.8) | … |
| Former | 58 (89.2) | 28 (45.2) | … |
| Current | 1 (1.5) | 0 (0.0) | … |
| Treated by, No. (%) | |||
| General practitioner | 11 (17.5) | 17 (31.5) | 48 (82.8) |
| Medical specialist | 52 (82.5) | 37 (68.5) | 10 (17.2) |
| Unknown | 2 | 8 | 2 |
| Exacerbations, previous year, No. (%) | |||
| 0 | 19 (29.2) | 16 (25.8) | … |
| 1 | 19 (29.2) | 8 (12.9) | … |
| 2 | 9 (13.8) | 15 (24.2) | … |
| >2 | 18 (27.7) | 23 (37.1) | … |
| Medication, No. (%) | |||
| No medication | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.6) | 5 (8.3) |
| Any of the following: | |||
| SABA/SAMA | 40 (61.5) | 45 (72.6) | … |
| LABA/LAMA | 49 (75.4) | 22 (35.5) | … |
| ICS | 17 (26.2) | 37 (59.7) | … |
| Combination medication (ICS + LABA/LAMA) | 35 (53.8) | 43 (69.4) | … |
| Metformin | … | … | 40 (66.7) |
| Gliclazide, glimepiride, or tolbutamide | … | … | 22 (36.7) |
| Insulin | … | … | 27 (45.0) |
COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; ICS = inhaled corticosteroids; LABA = long-acting β2-agonist; LAMA = long-acting muscarinic antagonists; SABA = short-acting β2-agonist; SAMA = short-acting muscarinic antagonists; T2D = type 2 diabetes.
↵a According to the Education Systems in the Netherlands.39
↵b Elementary school, pre-vocational secondary education and training, or secondary vocational education and training.
↵c Senior general secondary education or pre-university education.
↵d Higher professional education or university education.