Table 1.

Demographics stratified by blood specimen versus buccal smear groups.

N = 644	Blood Specimen Group (n=385)	Buccal smear group(n=259)	p-value
Age (years)			0.22
4–<18	73% (281)	77% (200)
18–38	27% (104)	23% (59)
Gender			0.65
Male	57% (218)	55% (142)
Female	43% (167)	45% (117)
No. dispensings of inhaled corticosteroids in 1 year			0.85
3	25% (98)	27% (71)
4	24% (93)	26% (68)
5	17% (64)	15% (38)
6	11% (41)	9% (23)
7+	23% (89)	23% (59)
Emergency Department Visits			< 0.0001
0	14% (54)	33% (85)
1	24% (91)	21% (54)
2	21% (81)	15% (38)
3+	41% (159)	32% (82)
Hospitalizations			0.48
0	98% (378)	99% (257)
1	2% (6)	0.8% (2)
2	0.3% (1)	0% (0)
In 208 subjects who completed telephone interview*
Race			0.43
Caucasian	63% (74)	75% (68)
Black	19% (22)	12% (11)
Asian	7% (8)	8% (7)
Other	11% (13)	5% (5)
Asthma Control
Good	23% (27)	32% (29)	0.16
Poor	77% (90)	68% (62)

^*Note: Some subjects opted to complete the telephone interview even though they did not agree to provide a specimen.