Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of healthy subjects and asthmatics
| Variables | Healthy subjects | Asthmatics | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects (male/female) | 3 (0/3) | 12 (2/10) | |
| Age (years) § | 55 (42-67) | 57 (38-67) | 0.825 |
| Disease duration (years) § | 0 | 8 (0.5-20) | na |
| Body Mass Index § | 30.9 (24.1-34.9) | 31.5 (19.4-41.4) | 0.897 |
| FVC (% pred.) # | 118 ± 8 | 86 ± 6 | 0.035 |
| FEV1/FVC # | 0.85 ± 0.01 | 0.81 ± 0.03 | 0.61 |
| PD20 (mg of methacholine) # | neg. or not performed | 0.13 ± 0.05□ | na |
| Documented SPT positivity | 0 | 8¤ | |
The baseline clinical characteristics of all subjects showed a statistically significant difference in FVC % predicted between the two groups, using a Student's t-test. No differences were seen in the other variables. A p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant (shown in bold).
Abbreviations: FEV1 = forced expiratory volume in 1 sec; FVC = forced vital capacity; PD20 = provocative dose of methacholine producing a 20% decrease in FEV1; FENO = fractional exhaled nitric oxide; SPT = skin prick test; na = not applicable; § = data presented as mean (range); # = data presented as mean ± standard error of the mean; □ = n = 10 (1 patient was negative, 1 patient was not tested) ¤ = 2 patients were negative, 2 patients were not tested, but had no clinical history of allergy.