Table 2.
Characteristics of patients with controlled and uncontrolled asthma, defined by one or more of the following: ≥2 steroid bursts in the past year, hospitalization in the past year, a history of near-fatal asthma or FEV1 <80% predicted with FEV1/FVC <0.7
| Patient characteristics | Controlled asthma (n=97) | Uncontrolled asthma (n=109) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Age (years) | 44±17 | 52±18 | <0.001 |
| Gender (male) | 51 (52.6) | 48 (44.0) | NS |
| Ethnicity | NS | ||
| Chinese | 56 (57.7) | 70 (64.2) | |
| Malay | 19 (19.6) | 15 (13.8) | |
| Indian | 13 (13.4) | 16 (14.7) | |
| Others | 9 (9.3) | 8 (7.3) | |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 26.5±6.7 | 25.6±6.5 | NS |
| Asthma control test score | 17 (14–20) | 19 (15–22) | NS |
| Age of onset (years) | 18 (6–37) | 25 (10–44) | NS |
| Active or ex-smoker | 17 (17.5) | 24 (22.0) | NS |
| Eosinophil count (109/L) | 0.41 (0.26–0.64)* | 0.64 (0.29–1.24)* | 0.006 |
| FEV1 (% predicted) | 79.7±17.7 | 64.5±19.9 | <0.001 |
| FEV1/FVC | 81.2±7.3 | 65.8±13.3 | <0.001 |
| Allergen sensitization | |||
| Positive skin prick test | 74 (76.3) | 88 (80.7) | NS |
| Blomia tropicalis | 68 (70.1) | 77 (70.6) | NS |
| Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus | 70 (72.2) | 76 (69.7) | NS |
| Dermatophagoides farinae | 67 (69.1) | 76 (69.7) | NS |
| Dog dander | 33 (34.0) | 33 (30.3) | NS |
| Cat dander | 31 (32.0) | 37 (33.9) | NS |
| Feather | 9 (9.3) | 14 (12.8) | NS |
| Cockroach | 22 (22.7) | 26 (23.9) | NS |
| Aspergillus | 4 (4.1) | 20 (18.3) | 0.001 |
| Sensitization to ≥4 allergens | 42 (43.3) | 54 (49.5) | NS |
| Number of sensitized allergens | 3 (1–5) | 3 (2–5) | NS |
Notes: Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation, median (interquartile range), and numbers (percentage).
*
Eosinophil counts available for 69 and 80 patients with controlled asthma and uncontrolled asthma, respectively.
Abbreviations: FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 second; FVC, forced vital capacity; NS, not significant.