Table 1 Characteristics of study subjects.
| Normal controls | EB | Mild asthma | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (M/F) | 4/7 | 6/9 | 7/11 |
| Age (years) | 46.2 (3.2) | 51.8 (4.7) | 49.3 (4.4) |
| FVC (% predicted) | 98.6 (3.2) | 91.7 (2.2) | 94.3 (3.2) |
| FEV1 (% predicted) | 95.3 (4.1) | 93.5 (2.2) | 88.5 (6.2) |
| FEV1/FVC (%) | 94.2 (4.20 | 89.4 (2.7) | 85.6 (5.4) |
| FEF25–75 (% predicted) | 94.6 (3.6) | 83.8 (9.3) | 64.4 (8.2)* |
| PC20 (mg/ml) | 24.5 (1.0) | 20.8 (1.2) | 1.62 (1.2)† |
| Atopy (n) | 2 | 7† | 11† |
| Serum IgE (U/ml) | 64.9 (17.0) | 135.2 (123.6) | 337.7 (104.3)† |
| Sputum cell profile | |||
| Total cell count (×106/ml) | 3.23 (2.09) | 7.98 (1.52)* | 10.34 (2.43)* |
| Viability (%) | 90.2 (2.7) | 84.8 (1.7) | 83.9 (2.6) |
| Macrophages (%) | 54.7 (3.4) | 67.5 (4.6) | 72.8 (5.2) |
| Neutrophils (%) | 34.9 (6.4) | 12.8 (6.1)* | 10.96 (4.2)* |
| Lymphocytes (%) | 1.9 (0.6) | 2.7 (0.4) | 1.8 (0.3) |
| Eosinophils (%) | 0.5 (0.2) | 10.9 (1.3)† | 12.2 (4.6)† |
| Bronchial epithelial cells (%) | 5.3 (2.7) | 7.6 (3.1) | 8.2 (1.6) |
| Squamous cells (%) | 5.1 (0.6) | 4 (0.4) | 3.2 (1.2) |
EB, eosinophilic bronchitis; FVC, forced vital capacity; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 second; FEF, forced expiratory flow; PC20, concentration of methacholine provoking a fall in FEV1 of 20% or more.
Data are presented as mean (SE).
*p<0.05, †p<0.01 compared with normal controls.
PC20 values are expressed as geometric means.