Table I.
Demographic, clinical, and laboratory features of the study groups
| Variable | Healthy Control subjects (n = 20) |
Patients with NRA (n = 30) |
Patients with RA (n = 60) |
P value, all groups | P value, NRA vs RA | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | Median | Mean | Median | Mean | Median | |||
| Age (y) | 33.6 ± 2 | 31 | 38 ± 2 | 35.5 | 54.5 ± 1 | 57 | <.0001 | <.0001 |
| Female/male | 13/7 | 19/11 | 36/24 | |||||
| BMI (kg/m2) | 29.7 ± 1.2 | 29.8 | 28 ± 1.1 | 27.4 | 29.7 ± 0.7 | 29.4 | .12 | .051 |
| Atopy | 50% | 66% | 88% | |||||
| FVC (L) | 4.1 ± 0.1 | 4.3 | 3.6 ± 0.1 | 3.5 | 2.7 ± 0.1 | 2.5 | <.0001 | <.0001 |
| FEV1 (L) | 3.3 ± 0.1 | 3.4 | 2.6 ± 0.1 | 2.7 | 1.8 ± 0.09 | 1.6 | <.0001 | <.0001 |
| FVC (%) | 101 ± 2.9 | 97.5 | 92 ± 2.5 | 88 | 71 ± 2 | 71 | <.0001 | <.0001 |
| FEV1 (%) | 96.5 ± 2.6 | 95 | 78 ± 3 | 74 | 60 ± 2.5 | 55 | <.0001 | <.0001 |
| Reversibility (%) | 5.2 ± 0.5 | 5.5 | 17.6 ± 2.1 | 17 | 22 ± 2.5 | 16 | <.0001 | <.0001 |
| PC20 for methacholine | 25 ± 0 | 25 | 2.5 ± 0.5 (n = 29/30) | 1 | 3.4 ± 1.1 (n = 23/60) | 1.5 | <.0001 | .19 |
| Feno | 23 ± 3 | 21 | 35 ± 3 | 28.7 | 43.8 ± 6 | 22.5 | .17 | .55 |
| IgE (kU/L) | 47 ± 9 | 33 | 333 ± 199 | 106 | 406 ± 149 | 116 | <.001 | .6 |
| Blood eosinophils/μL | 150 ± 21 | 100 | 283 ± 28 | 300 | 352 ± 43 | 300 | <.0001 | .4 |
| Blood PMNs (1000/μL) | 4.0 ± 0.2 | 3.6 | 3.6 ± 0.3 | 3.2 | 6.5 ± 0.4 | 5.1 | .0001 | .0001 |
| BAL WBCs (× 106) | 10.2 ± 0.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 ± 0.7 | 8.7 | 15.8 ± 2.7 | 8 | .6 | .5 |
| BAL eosinophils (% [total × 106]) | 0.48 ± 0.1 (0.04 ± 0.01) | 0.2 (0.022) | 1.4 ± 0.2 (0.11 ± 0.02) | 1 (0.079) | 2.6 ± 0.6 (0.32 ± 0.09) | 1 (0.042) | .07 (.19) | .3 (.6) |
| BAL PMNs (% [total × 106]) | 1.9 ± 0.2 (0.19 ± 0.02) | 1.8 (0.16) | 2.5 ± 0.4 (0.22 ± 0.05) | 2 (0.15) | 10.9 ± 2.4 (3.12 ± 1.8) | 4.5 (0.40) | .002 (.003) | .01 (.004) |
| BAL lymphocytes (% [total × 106]) | 6 ± 0.7 (0.61 ± 0.08) | 5.2 (0.45) | 6.4 ± 1.1 (0.55 ± 0.12) | 4.6 (0.30) | 11.3 ± 1.3 (1.43 ± 0.27) | 8 (0.60) | .08 (.2) | .03 (.1) |
| BAL macrophages (% [total × 106]) | 91.5 ± 0.9 (9.42 ± 0.7) | 92.8 (8.8) | 89.7 ± 1.2 (7.87 ± 0.6) | 91.8 (7.6) | 75.2 ± 2.8 (10.8 ± 1.7) | 82.5 (6.3) | .001 (.3) | .006 (0.7) |
| Biopsy eosinophils/HPF | 1.2 ± 0.6 | 0 | 6.1 ± 4.3 | 0 | 10.2 ± 3.4 | 0 | .6 | .4 |
| Biopsy PMNs/HPF | 0.7 ± 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.4 ± 0.2 | 0 | 2.3 ± 2 | 0 | .0001 | .09 |
| Biopsy CD117+ cells | 3.8 ± 1.3 | 1 | 4.9 ± 1 | 3 | 1.5 ± 0.3 | 0 | .002 | .001 |
| BM thickness | 6.4 ± 0.6 | 6 | 7.5 ± 0.6 | 7.2 | 8.8 ± 0.4 | 8 | .01 | .04 |
| Serum vitamin D | 28.4 ± 3 | 26.4 | 37.5 ± 2.6 | 34.7 | 36.5 ± 2.8 | 34.6 | .056 | .4 |
BM, Basement membrane thickness; BMI, body mass index; HPF, high-powered field; WBC, white blood cells.