Table 1: Baseline characteristics of cohort.
| Cohort | No chest PT | Chest PT | p value | |
| n = 77 | n = 38 | n = 39 | ||
| Demographics | ||||
| Age | 67 ± 14 | 66 ± 16 | 68 ± 11 | 0.93 |
| Body mass index | 25 ± 5 | 24 ± 5 | 25 ± 5 | 0.65 |
| Caucasian | 69 (90) | 35 (92) | 34 (87) | 0.47 |
| Female | 54 (70) | 24 (63) | 30 (77) | 0.19 |
| Smoking history | 29 (38) | 14 (37) | 15 (38) | 0.81 |
| Pack years | 6 ± 15 | 7 ± 15 | 5 ± 17 | 0.37 |
| Past medical history | ||||
| Allergic rhinitis | 11 (14) | 7 (18) | 4 (10) | 0.31 |
| Asthma | 16 (21) | 6 (16) | 10 (26) | 0.29 |
| COPD | 23 (30) | 11 (29) | 12 (31) | 0.86 |
| Hiatal hernia | 15 (20) | 6 (16) | 9 (23) | 0.42 |
| Hypertension | 33 (42) | 17 (45) | 16 (41) | 0.74 |
| Pneumonia | 32 (42) | 13 (34) | 19 (49) | 0.2 |
| Reflux | 47 (61) | 23 (61) | 24 (62) | 0.93 |
| Sinusitis | 18 (23) | 10 (26) | 8 (21) | 0.55 |
| Tuberculosis | 4 (5) | 1 (3) | 3 (8) | 0.32 |
| Symptoms | ||||
| Chest congestion | 3 (4) | 0 (0) | 3 (8) | 0.08 |
| Cough | 38 (49) | 12 (32) | 26 (67) | 0.002 |
| Fatigue | 3 (4) | 0 (0) | 3 (8) | 0.08 |
| Heartburn | 19 (25) | 5 (13) | 14 (36) | 0.02 |
| Hemoptysis | 4 (5) | 1 (3) | 3 (8) | 0.32 |
| Postnasal drip | 4 (5) | 0 (0) | 4 (10) | 0.04 |
| Sputum | 30 (39) | 7 (18) | 23 (59) | < 0.001 |
| Wheezing | 4 (5) | 1 (3) | 3 (8) | 0.32 |
| Mycobacterial culture | ||||
| Myocobacterium avium complex | 71 (92) | 34 (89) | 37 (95) | 0.38 |
| Mycobacterium gordonae | 4 (5) | 3 (8) | 1 (3) | 0.29 |
| Mycobacterium kansasii | 1 (1) | 1 (3) | 0 (0) | 0.31 |
| Mycobacterium xenopi | 1 (1) | 0 (0) | 1 (3) | 0.32 |
| CT chest findings | ||||
| Bronchiectasis | 22 (29) | 12 (32) | 10 (26) | 0.56 |
| Bronchiolitis | 12 (16) | 5 (13) | 7 (18) | 0.56 |
| Bronchial wall thickening | 19 (25) | 8 (21) | 11 (28) | 0.47 |
| Ground glass opacities | 9 (12) | 6 (16) | 3 (8) | 0.09 |
| Mucoid impaction | 11 (14) | 3 (8) | 8 (21) | 0.11 |
| Intervention | ||||
| Bronchodilator therapy | 11 (14) | 3 (8) | 8 (21) | 0.11 |
| Inhaled corticosteroid | 11 (14) | 3 (8) | 8 (21) | 0.11 |
| Proton pump inhibitor or H2 blocker | 20 (26) | 7 (18) | 13 (33) | 0.14 |
Data expressed as mean ± SD or N (%); p value based on chi-square for categorical variables and mann - whitney for continuous variables; COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CT = computerized tomography.