Table 2.
Characteristics of the groups and comparison between non-eosinophilic and eosinophilic sputum.
| Variable | Total (N = 45) | Sputum eosinophils < 3% (N = 30) | Sputum eosinophils ≥ 3% (N = 15) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex, female N (%) | 35 (77.8%) | 25 | 10 | 0.258 |
| Age (years), mean ± SD | 49 ± 1.9 | 49.3 ± 1.8 | 48.7 ± 4.8 | 0.91 |
| Age of asthma onset (years), median (IR) | 5 (0–35) | 5.5 (0–36.5) | 5 (0–33) | 0.903 |
| Ethnicity, white N (%) | 33 (73.3%) | 22 | 11 | 1 |
| BMI (kg/m2), mean ± SD | 31.7 ± 1 | 30.9 ± 1.4 | 31 ± 1.5 | 0.851 |
| Tobacco exposure, n (%) | 0.645 | |||
| Never smoked | 27 (60%) | 17 | 10 | |
| Smoker | 5 (11%) | 4 | 1 | |
| Ex-smoker | 13 (28.9%) | 9 | 4 | |
| Severity of asthma, N (%) | 0.486 | |||
| Moderate | 1 (2.2%) | 1 | 0 | |
| Severe | 44 (97.8%) | 29 | 15 | |
| Allergic rhinitis, N (%) | 0.066 | |||
| No | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Controlled | 36 (80%) | 22 | 14 | |
| Not controlled | 9 (20%) | 8 | 1 | |
| Asthma control, N (%)* | 0.492 | |||
| Well controlled | 6 (13.3%) | 3 | 3 | |
| Partially controlled | 16 (35.6%) | 10 | 6 | |
| Uncontrolled | 23 (51.1%) | 17 | 6 | |
| ACT (points), median (IR) | 16 (8–24) | 15.5 (8.5–22.5) | 16 (8–24) | 0.621 |
| ACT (≥ 20 points; controlled), n (%) | 15 (33.3%) | 9 | 6 | 0.513 |
SD standard deviation, IR interquartile range, BMI body mass index.
*According to GINA.