Table 2.

Effect of inhaled corticosteroid treatment on the annual number of exacerbations, hospitalizations, incidence of chronic bronchial infection, pneumonia, and all-cause death.

Variables	Less than 100 Eosinophils/µL	Between 101–300 Eosinophils/µL	More than 300 Eosinophils/µL	p Value (ANOVA)
	n = 27 (23.5%)	n = 63 (54.8%)	n = 25 (21.7%)
Annual exacerbation rate −All patients −Under ICs treatment	1.48 (1.1)	1.27 (1.1)	1.77 (1.2)	0.031 *
	1.71 (1.1)	1.31 (1.1)	1.08 (0.6)	0.011 **
Annual hospitalization rate −All patients −Under ICs treatment	0.48 (0.7)	0.58 (0.9)	0.67 (0.8)	0.041 **
	0.69 (0.8)	0.61 (0.9)	0.35 (0.5)	0.033 **
Chronic bronchial infection −All patients −Under ICs treatment	51.8%	31.7%	24%	0.012 **
	50%	34%	24.3%	0.032 **
CBI by P. aeruginosa −All patients −Under ICs treatment	33.3%	17.4%	12%	0.043 ***
	35%	20%	7.1%	0.047 ***
At least one pneumonia −All patients −Under ICs treatment	74.1%	44.4%	12%	<0.001 ***
	70%	50%	7.1%	0.001 ***
Death −All patients −Under ICs treatment	59.2%	57.1%	64%	0.844
	55%	64%	57.1%	0.757

* More than 300 eosinophils/µL vs. 101–300 eosinophils/µL. ** Less than 100 eosinophils/µL vs. more than 300 eosinophils/µL. *** Less than 100 eosinophils/µL vs. 101–300 and more than 300 eosinophils/µL. ICs: Inhaled corticosteroids; CBI: Chronic bronchial infection; P. aeruginosa. Pseudomonas aeruginosa.