Table 3.
Characteristics of patients with and without sensitization to Aspergillus
| Patient characteristics and outcomes | No sensitization to Aspergillus (n=182) | Sensitization to Aspergillus (n=24) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Age (years) | 48±18 | 51±18 | NS |
| Gender (male) | 83 (45.6) | 16 (66.7) | 0.052 |
| Ethnicity | NS | ||
| Chinese | 107 (58.8) | 19 (79.2) | |
| Malay | 32 (17.6) | 2 (8.3) | |
| Indian | 28 (15.4) | 1 (4.2) | |
| Others | 15 (8.2) | 2 (8.3) | |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 26.1±6.7 | 25.4±5.7 | NS |
| Asthma control test score | 18 (15–21) | 20 (15–23) | NS |
| Active or ex-smoker | 35 (19.2) | 6 (25.0) | NS |
| Age of onset (years) | 21 (8–39) | 24 (10–49) | NS |
| Eosinophil count (×109/L) | 0.50 (0.28–0.74)* | 0.58 (0.25–0.95)* | 0.006 |
| FEV1 (% predicted) | 72.3±19.6 | 67.0±25.2 | NS |
| FEV1/FVC | 74.2±12.6 | 64.2±15.3 | 0.005 |
| Indicators of uncontrolled asthma | |||
| ≥2 Steroid bursts in the past year | 36 (19.8) | 9 (37.5) | 0.048 |
| Hospitalization in the past year | 30 (16.5) | 5 (20.8) | NS |
| History of near-fatal asthma | 10 (5.5) | 3 (12.5) | NS |
| FEV1 <80% predicted and FEV1/FVC <0.7 | 56 (30.8) | 13 (54.2) | 0.022 |
| Any of the above | 89 (48.9) | 20 (83.3) | 0.001 |
Notes: Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation, median (interquartile range) and numbers (percentage).
*
Eosinophil counts available for 130 and 19 patients with no sensitization to Aspergillus and with sensitization to Aspergillus, respectively.
Abbreviations: FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 second; FVC, forced vital capacity; NS, not significant.