Table 1.
Characteristics of Healthy Subjects and Subjects with Stable Asthma and Asthma Exacerbation
| Characteristic | Healthy (n = 16) |
Stable Asthma (n = 34) |
Asthma Exacerbation (n = 13) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | Values | n | Values | n | Values | ||
| Age, yr* |
16 | 32.9 ± 13.0 | 34 | 39.5 ± 13.7 | 13 | 45.2 ± 12.5 | |
| Female sex, n (%) |
16 | 7 (44) | 34 | 20 (59) | 13 | 9 (69) | |
| Body mass index, kg/m2* |
15 | 22.9 ± 2.4 | 34 | 29.1 ± 6.6 | n/a | ||
| Use of inhaled corticosteroids, n (%) |
0 | 0 | 31 | 16 (52) | 7 | 5 (71) | |
| Use of oral corticosteroids for asthma in past 2 yr, n (%) |
0 | 0 | 28 | 9 (32) | 8 | 7 (88) | |
| Ever smoked, n (%) |
16 | 5 (31) | 22 | 11 (50) | 13 | 8 (62) | |
| Current smoker, n (%) |
16 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 13 | 1 (8) | |
| Spirometry data* |
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| FEV1, % predicted |
16 | 100.8 ± 11.1 | 34 | 75.9 ± 17.1 | n/a | ||
| FVC, % predicted |
15 | 102.7 ± 10.9 | 34 | 93.2 ± 12.9 | n/a | ||
| Sputum cell counts, %† |
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| Eosinophils (nonsquamous) |
16 | 0.095 (0–0.35) | 34 | 1.0 (0.6–4.2) | 8 | 1.5 (0.8–4.7) | |
| Neutrophils (nonsquamous) |
16 | 26.7 (18.9–35.8) | 34 | 29.6 (23.4–37.4) | 8 | 45.6 (19.5–48.9) | |
| Squamous cells | 16 | 20.6 (16.4–52.3) | 34 | 19 (11.8–32.1) | 8 | 10 (2.8–35.7) | |
Definition of abbreviation: n/a = not available.
Asthma was diagnosed by either methacholine hyperresponsiveness or bronchodilator responsiveness.
*
Age, body mass index, and spirometry data are presented as mean ± SD.
†
Sputum cell count data is presented as the median (range).