Statistical Analysis
Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 24.0 software (IBM
Corp., Armonk, IL). Categorical variables were expressed as number and
percentage; numerical variables were expressed as mean and standard
deviation. Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to test whether the data
were normally distributed. Repeated measures were compared using
Friedman test and Wilcoxon test with Bonferroni correction for
non-normally distributed numerical data. Pearson correlation analysis
was used to assess the relationship between changes in laboratory
parameters and changes in pulmonary function tests. Results with p value
<0.05 were considered statistically significant.