Table 2.
Patient Demographic and Clinical Characteristics before Biologic Initiation Overall and by Biologic Class
| Total (N = 3,717) | Anti-IgE (n = 1,390) | Anti-IL5/5R (n = 2,021) | Anti-IL4Rα (n = 306) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at biologic initiation, yr, median (Q1, Q3) | 54 (43, 63) | 50 (40, 59) | 56 (46, 65) | 52 (41, 62) |
| Sex, N | 3,715 | 1,389 | 2,020 | 306 |
| Female | 2,305 (62.0) | 902 (64.9) | 1,214 (60.1) | 189 (61.8) |
| Ethnicity, N | 3,717 | 1,390 | 2,021 | 306 |
| White | 2,616 (70.4) | 982 (70.6) | 1,438 (71.2) | 196 (64.1) |
| Southeast Asian | 118 (3.2) | 59 (4.2) | 52 (2.6) | 7 (2.3) |
| Northeast Asian | 108 (2.9) | 25 (1.8) | 70 (3.5) | 13 (4.2) |
| African | 95 (2.6) | 36 (2.6) | 49 (2.4) | 10 (3.3) |
| Mixed | 68 (1.8) | 55 (4.0) | 7 (0.3) | 6 (2.0) |
| Other | 241 (6.4) | 89 (6.4) | 130 (6.4) | 22 (7.2) |
| Unknown/missing | 471 (12.7) | 144 (10.4) | 275 (13.6) | 52 (17.0) |
| BMI, kg/m2, N | 3,467 | 1,270 | 1,895 | 302 |
| Median (Q1, Q3) | 28.1 (24.4, 32.9) | 28.8 (25.1, 33.7) | 27.5 (24.0, 32.0) | 28.9 (24.8, 33.8) |
| Smoking status at Bx initiation, N | 2,692 | 978 | 1,479 | 235 |
| Current smoker | 74 (2.7) | 38 (3.9) | 29 (2.0) | 7 (3.0) |
| Ex-smoker | 791 (29.4) | 232 (23.7) | 479 (32.4) | 80 (34.0) |
| Never-smoker | 1,827 (67.9) | 708 (72.4) | 971 (65.7) | 148 (63.0) |
| Age of asthma onset, yr, N | 2,289 | 823 | 1,366 | 100 |
| Median (Q1, Q3) | 30 (14, 44) | 24 (10, 39) | 33 (18, 47) | 26 (10, 43) |
| Asthma duration,* yr, N | 2,289 | 823 | 1,366 | 100 |
| Median (Q1, Q3) | 19 (9, 34) | 20 (11, 34) | 18 (9, 34) | 22 (7, 34) |
| FEV1/FVC < 0.7, N | 2,646 | 1,390 | 1,433 | 238 |
| Yes | 1,398 (52.8) | 479 (49.1) | 811 (56.6) | 108 (45.4) |
| Pre-Bx highest BEC, 109 cells/L, N | 2,420 | 843 | 1,388 | 189 |
| Median (Q1, Q3) | 455 (230, 790) | 300 (200, 600) | 550 (300, 900) | 400 (200, 600) |
| Pre-Bx latest FeNO, ppb, N | 1,603 | 441 | 1,017 | 145 |
| Median (Q1, Q3) | 34 (18, 66) | 26 (14, 51) | 39 (21, 73) | 28 (16, 57) |
| Pre-Bx latest blood IgE count, IU/ml, N | 2,294 | 927 | 1,203 | 164 |
| Median (Q1, Q3) | 188 (75, 489) | 253 (114, 576) | 145 (53, 385) | 134 (33, 500) |
| Positive test to any allergen†, N | 1,730 | 739 | 892 | 99 |
| Yes | 1,378 (79.7) | 701 (94.9) | 609 (68.3) | 68 (68.7) |
| Medication use in the year preceding Bx initiation, N | 3,121 | 1,223 | 1599 | 299 |
| LAMA | 104 (3.3) | 46 (3.8) | 50 (3.1) | 8 (2.7) |
| Theophylline | 274 (8.8) | 114 (9.3) | 154 (9.6) | 6 (2.0) |
| LTRA | 1,378 (44.2) | 566 (46.3) | 659 (41.2) | 153 (51.2) |
| Macrolide | 368 (11.8) | 145 (11.9) | 170 (10.6) | 53 (17.7) |
| History of AR, N | 2430 | 987 | 1,186 | 257 |
| Yes | 1,274 (52.4%) | 600 (60.8%) | 570 (48.1%) | 104 (40.5%) |
| History of CRS, N | 2,860 | 1,063 | 1,543 | 254 |
| Yes | 1,471 (51.4) | 458 (43.1) | 880 (57.0) | 133 (52.4) |
| History of NP, N | 2,997 | 1,100 | 1,639 | 258 |
| Yes | 842 (28.1) | 196 (17.8) | 566 (34.5) | 80 (31.0) |
| History of osteoporosis, N | 3,154 | 1,259 | 1,604 | 291 |
| Yes | 485 (15.4) | 195 (15.5) | 258 (16.1) | 32 (11.0) |
| History of anxiety/depression, N | 3,172 | 1,226 | 1,669 | 277 |
| Yes | 481 (15.2) | 182 (14.8) | 245 (14.7) | 54 (19.5) |
| Eosinophilic gradient‡ (50), N | 2,901 | 714 | 2,021 | 166 |
| Grade 0 | 5 (0.2) | 5 (0.7) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |
| Grade 1 | 62 (2.1) | 53 (7.4) | 0 (0.0) | 9 (5.4) |
| Grade 2 | 125 (4.3) | 109 (15.3) | 0 (0.0) | 16 (9.6) |
| Grade 3 | 2,709 (84.9) | 547 (76.6) | 2,021 (100.0) | 141 (84.9) |
Definition of abbreviations: AR = allergic rhinitis; BEC = blood eosinophil concentration; Bx = biologic; CRS = chronic rhinosinusitis; ISAR = International Severe Asthma Registry; LAMA = long-acting muscarinic antagonist; LTRA = leukotriene receptor antagonist; NP = nasal polyps; Q = quartile.
Data are presented as n (%) unless otherwise noted.
Age at biologic initiation minus reported age at asthma onset.
Except for the U.K. patients for whom no detail is available to ISAR (n = 471; 64.8% with a positive allergy test), ISAR collects data on test results for allergens in 11 categories: dust mite, grass mix, cat hair, mold mix, dog hair, Aspergillus, weed mix, trees, food mix, animal mix, and others. Patients with a reported positive test in at least one category were reported as positive; patients with at least one negative record and no positive records were reported as negative. A total of 1,230 patients had data available for at least two categories, of whom 256 (20.8%) were negative on all recorded tests, 250 (20.3%) were positive for one category only, and 724 (58.9%) were positive for at least two categories.
Note that patients receiving anti-IL5/5R were all categorized as “most likely” by the algorithm. Grade 0 (unlikely/noneosinophilic); Grade 1 (least likely); Grade 2 (likely); Grade 3 (most likely).