Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of participants.
| Items | Total | HCs | T2 asthma | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects, n (%) | 27 | 13 (48.1) | 14 (51.9) | |
| Age(y), M ± SD | 42.74 ± 7.31 | 44.31 ± 6.87 | 41.28 ± 7.66 | 0.290 |
| Sex M/F, n/n (%/%) | 11/16 (40.7/59.3) | 4/9 (30.8/69.2) | 7/7 (50.0/50.0) | 0.440 |
| BMI (kg/m2), M ± SD | 23.88 ± 2.23 | 22.41 ± 1.45 | 25.24 ± 1.96 | <0.001 |
| Smoking history, n (%) | 0.901 | |||
| Never-smoker | 19 (70.4) | 9 (69.2) | 10 (71.4) | |
| Ex-smoker | 8 (29.6) | 4 (30.8) | 4 (28.6) | |
| ACT, M ± SD | 22.64 ± 1.50 | |||
| Lung function indexes, median (IQR) | ||||
| FEV1 (L) | 2.4 (1.8–2.6) | 2.5 (2.3–2.9) | 1.9 (1.7–2.4) | 0.002 |
| FEV1/FVC (%) | 78.1 (74.6–82.3) | 81.4 (80.5–87.1) | 74.7 (72.5–77.5) | <0.001 |
| FEV1%predicted (%) | 95.2 (80.4–102.3) | 102.4 (96.1–109.6) | 81.6 (71.5–95.4) | <0.001 |
| Biochemical indexes, median (IQR)) | ||||
| IgE (mg/l) | 318.8 (229.4–612.6) | 249.6 (174.0–464.1) | 588.8 (252.6–945.7) | 0.014 |
| IL-4 (pg/ml) | 17.59 ± 7.05 | 10.69 ± 2.0 | 23.98 ± 2.02 | <0.001 |
| IFN-γ (pg/ml) | 15.29 ± 5.92 | 21.11 ± 2.06 | 9.89 ± 0.88 | <0.001 |
| FeNO (ppb) | 22.96 ± 9.69 | 15.38 ± 5.68 | 30.00 ± 6.86 | <0.001 |
| Blood eosinophils ( × 109) | 0.18 ± 0.08 | 0.13 ± 0.07 | 0.22 ± 0.08 | 0.005 |
| Blood neutrophils ( × 109) | 3.87 ± 1.18 | 3.78 ± 1.21 | 3.94 ± 1.19 | 0.730 |
| Th2 (%), M ± SD | 3.39 ± 1.53 | 1.84 ± 0.13 | 4.83 ± 0.07 | <0.001 |
| Th1 (%), M ± SD | 3.34 ± 1.53 | 4.89 ± 0.08 | 1.90 ± 0.13 | <0.001 |
Note: Comparisons were determined using Student's t-test, the Mann-Whitney U test and the chi-square test between the two groups. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Abbreviations: M, male; F, female; BMI, body mass index; ACT, asthma control test; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC, forced vital capacity; IgE, immune globulin E; FeNO, fractionated exhaled nitric oxide; Th2, T-helper cell type 2; Th1, T-helper cell type 1; M ± SD, mean ± standard deviation; IQR, interquartile range.