Table 1.
Subject characteristics§
| Healthy children | Atopic nonasthmatic children | Steroid-naïve atopic asthmatic children | Steroid-treated atopic asthmatic children | |
| n | 15 | 20 | 25 | 22 |
| Sex, F/M | 8/7 | 9/11 | 12/13 | 10/12 |
| Age, yr | 10 ± 1 | 9 ± 1 | 10 ± 1 | 10 ± 1 |
| FEV1, % pred | 101.5 ± 1.8 | 100.8 ± 2.3 | 96.1 ± 1.4 | 97.5 ± 2.3 |
| FVC, % pred | 102.7 ± 2.8 | 103.2 ± 2.5 | 100.4 ± 2.3 | 101.5 ± 2.7 |
| FEV1/FVC, % | 99.8 ± 1.5 | 97.5 ± 2.6 | 87.1 ± 2.3* | 85.8 ± 2.5* |
| FEF25–75% | 104.0 ± 3.8 | 101.8 ± 4.1 | 68.2 ± 3.9** | 83.7 ± 4.5* |
§ Data are expressed as numbers or mean ± SEM.
* P < 0.05 and ** P < 0.01 compared with healthy children. Steroid-treated asthmatic children were receiving either 100 μg/day or 200 μg/day of inhaled fluticasone at a constant dose for at least 8 weeks.