Table III.
Comparison of LXA4 and LTB4 values and their ratio between EBC obtained from healthy controls and participants with mild, moderate and severe asthma
| Healthy controls | All asthmatics | Mild asthma | Moderate asthma | Severe asthma | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 12 | 69 | 10 | 23 | 36 |
| LXA4 pg/ml EBC |
2.41 (1.31 – 4.41) |
31.4 *** (23.58 – 41.81) |
62.22 (13.48 – 287.3) |
36.61 (26.06 – 51.43) |
23.54 (16.9 – 32.78) |
| LTB4 pg/ml EBC |
3.82 ^ (2.30 – 6.35) |
45.62 *** (38.18 – 54.50) |
55.16 (34.10 – 89.23) |
41.81 (31.74 – 55.08) |
45.75 (34.62 – 60.45) |
| EBC LXA4/LTB4 ratio |
0.85 ^ (0.34 – 2.13) |
0.69 (0.52 – 0.92) |
1.13 (0.23 – 5.49) |
0.88 (0.60 – 1.27) |
0.52 ** (0.37 – 0.71) |
Data presented as geometric mean (95% confidence interval of geometric mean) Log transformed data were analyzed by analysis of variance and covariance (adjusted for age, sex and race). None of the covariates were found to change the parameter estimate or the p value of the outcome obtained prior to adjustment. The p value for difference between four groups for both LXA4 and LTB4 was <0.001.
p < 0.001 for the difference in geometric means of EBC LXA4 levels between healthy controls and asthmatics when log transformed values are compared by Student’s t test.
p = 0.034 for the difference in geometric means between participants with moderate asthma and severe asthma when log transformed values are compared by Student’s t test.
N = 8 because EBC was not available for measurement of LTB4 from 4 healthy controls.