Table 1. Baseline characteristics of the children and adolescents with asthma stratified by asthma severity.a .
| Characteristic | Mild (steps 1-2) | Asthma severity Moderate (step 3) | Severe ( steps 4-5) | Total | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of subjects Anthropometric data | 100 | 84 | 105 | 289 | |
| Male | 60 (60) | 44 (52) | 73 (70) | 177 (61) | 0.05 |
| Age, years | 12 ± 3 | 13 ± 4 | 12 ± 3 | 12 ± 3 | 0.44 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 19.9 ± 4.1 | 20.2 ± 4.2 | 19.8 ± 4.2 | 19.9 ± 4.2 | 0.81 |
| Obesity Race | 13 (13) | 10 (12) | 9 (9) | 32 (11) | 0.57 |
| White | 66 (66) | 57 (68) | 66 (63) | 190 (66) | |
| Brown | 30 (30) | 25 (30) | 35 (33) | 90 (31) | 0.93 |
| Black Age at asthma onset, years | 4 (4) | 2 (2) | 4 (4) | 10 (3) | |
| ≤ 2 | 67 (67) | 59 (70) | 72 (69) | 199 (69) | |
| 3-6 | 21 (21) | 17 (20) | 21 (20) | 59 (20) | 0.18 |
| ≥ 7 | 12 (12) | 8 (9) | 12 (11) | 32 (11) | |
| Atopy Pulmonary function | 89 (89) | 76 (89) | 100 (95) | 265 (92) | 0.41 |
| FEV1, % predicted | 100.2 ± 12.0 | 97.5 ± 11.6 | 94.5 ± 13.1 | 97.2 ± 12.3 | 0.32 |
| FEV1/FVC | 0.88 ± 0.06 | 0.85 ± 0.08 | 0.85 ± 0.09 | 0.86 ± 0.08 | 0.03 |
| Fixed airway obstruction | 8 (8) | 12 (14) | 18 (17) | 38 (13) | 0.14 |
| Bronchodilator response Hospitalization due to asthma in the previous year | 17.5 ± 9.3 | 20.1 ± 11.4 | 22.9 ± 16.6 | 20.2 ± 13.1 | 0.01 |
| None | 56 (56) | 48 (57) | 57 (45) | 151 (52) | |
| 1-3 | 24 (24) | 21 (25) | 28 (27) | 73 (25) | 0.31 |
| ≥ 4 | 20 (20) | 15 (18) | 30 (27) | 66 (23) | |
| Exacerbation tendency | 36 (36) | 40 (48) | 43 (41) | 119 (41) | 0.28 |
| Hospitalization in an ICU | 7 (7) | 6 (7) | 13 (12) | 26 (9) | 0.31 |
BMI: body mass index. aValues expressed as n (%) or mean ± SD.