TABLE 3.
CHARACTERISTICS OF BRONCHIAL BIOPSY FROM SUBJECTS WITH ASTHMA AND HEALTHY CONTROL SUBJECTS
| Healthy Control Subjects (n = 19) | All Asthma Subjects (n = 45) | P Value | Lean (n = 15) | Overweight (n = 11) | Obese (n = 19) | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current age |
40 (4) |
49 (1) |
0.012 |
49 (1) |
48 (1) |
50 (1) |
0.9 |
| Male, n (%) |
11 (57) |
20 (44) |
0.36 |
4 (26) |
7 (63) |
9 (47) |
0.29 |
| BMI, kg/m2 |
25.5 (0.9) |
29.7 (0.9) |
0.014 |
23.1 (0.4) |
27.1 (0.4) |
35.7 (1.1) |
<0.001 |
| Smoking history, pack-years |
0 |
1.5 (2) |
— |
1 (0.5) |
3 (2) |
0.5 (1.5) |
0.44 |
| Oral corticosteroid use, n (%) |
— |
14 (30) |
— |
2 (15) |
5 (45) |
7 (20) |
0.28 |
| Daily prednisolone dose, mg |
— |
11.5 (2) |
— |
6.5 (1.5) |
13.5 (4.5) |
13 (3) |
0.39 |
| ICS dose* |
— |
1,600 (640–4,000) |
— |
1,440 (1,000–4,000) |
1,600 (1,000–4,000) |
1,600 (640–4,000) |
0.90 |
| Atopy present, n (%) |
4 (21) |
21 (45) |
0.06 |
6 (40) |
5 (45) |
10 (52) |
0.80 |
| Total IgE, IU/L† |
— |
163 (86–310) |
— |
185 (80–427) |
203 (31–1,306) |
128 (53–284) |
0.43 |
| Pre-BD FEV1 |
3.3 (0.2) |
2.37 (0.11) |
<0.005 |
2.4 (0.2) |
2.4 (0.2) |
2.3 (0.2) |
0.83 |
| Pre-BD FEV1% predicted |
99.8 (3.6) |
80.8 (3.1) |
<0.005 |
87 (5.5) |
78 (7.4) |
77 (4.4) |
0.43 |
| Pre-BD FEV1/FVC ratio |
79 (0.01) |
72 (0.3) |
<0.005 |
78 (0.6) |
64 (0.8) |
71 (0.5) |
0.37 |
| Total cell count (106/g sputum) |
1.3 (0.8–2.2) |
2.3 (1.5–3.4) |
0.79 |
2.5 (0.8–5.4) |
1.6 (0.5–4.4) |
2.7 (1.6–4.6) |
0.60 |
| Sputum eosinophils, %‡ |
0.5 (0–1) |
4 (1.35–17) |
0.001 |
10.25 (1.5–23) |
4.2 (0.25–20.5) |
3 (1.25–8.5) |
0.33 |
| Sputum neutrophils, % |
56.6 (40.7–74.3) |
48.1 (37.6–61.5) |
0.43 |
40.5 (27.4–65.1) |
51 (36.3–71.7) |
59.3 (46.3–75.8) |
0.26 |
| Eosinophils/mm2 submucosa‡ |
4.6 (0.5–7.5) |
11.7 (6–25.6) |
<0.005 |
8.2 (5.4–14.6) |
8.8 (3.9–37.7) |
19.4 (11.8–31.2) |
0.025 |
| Peripheral blood eosinophil count (×109cells/L)‡ | 0.13 (0.09–0.23) | 0.29 (0.2–0.51) | 0.001 | 0.24 (0.19–0.54) | 0.35 (0.21–0.52) | 0.36 (0.21–0.5) | 0.78 |
Definition of abbreviations: BD = bronchodilator; BMI = body mass index; ICS = inhaled corticosteroids.
Subjects with asthma stratified by their BMI.
Data expressed as mean (SEM) unless otherwise stated.
*
Doses of all inhaled corticosteroids were converted to the equivalent dose of beclomethasone dipropionate and expressed here as median dose (range).
†
Data expressed as geometric mean (95% confidence interval).
‡
Data expressed as median (interquartile range).