Table 2.
Clinical and biological characteristics of asthmatic children classified by RV infection.
| Characteristics | Asthma with RV− | Asthma with RV+ | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects, N (%) | 52 (45.2) | 63 (54.8) | NS |
|
| |||
| Age | |||
| <2 years, N (%) | 13 (25.0) | 11 (17.5) | NS |
| Mean ± SD (months) | 16 ± 4 | 18 ± 5 | NS |
| 2–5 years, N (%) | 19 (36.5) | 33 (52.4) | NS |
| Mean ± SD (months) | 41 ± 12 | 42 ± 13 | NS |
| >5 years, N (%) | 20 (38.5) | 19 (30.2) | NS |
| Mean ± SD (months) | 95 ± 20 | 110 ± 31 | NS |
|
| |||
| Male/female (ratio) | 2.0 | 1.7 | NS |
|
| |||
| Atopy | |||
| Eczema (%) | 47.5 | 52.5 | NS |
| Allergic rhinitis (%) | 62.0 | 70.9 | NS |
| Seasonal allergy (%) | 95.9 | 94.8 | NS |
| Others, N (%) | 8.1 | 14.8 | NS |
|
| |||
| Second-hand smoking (%) | 18.3 | 17.2 | NS |
|
| |||
| Domestic animals† (%) | 4.1 | 3.6 | NS |
|
| |||
| PAS | |||
| Mild, N (%) | 14 (26.9) | 5 (7.9) | <0.01 |
| Moderate, N (%) | 16 (30.7) | 22 (34.9) | NS |
| Severe, N (%) | 22 (42.4) | 36 (57.2) | <0.05 |
|
| |||
| Length of hospitalization | |||
| 1–3 days, N (%) | 14 (27.5) | 21 (33.3) | NS |
| Mean ± SD (days) | 2.8 ± 0.4 | 2.7 ± 0.6 | NS |
| >3–5 days, N (%) | 27 (52.9) | 27 (42.8) | NS |
| Mean ± SD (days) | 4.4 ± 0.5 | 4.5 ± 0.5 | NS |
| >5 days, N (%) | 10 (19.6) | 15 (23.8) | NS |
| Mean ± SD (days) | 8.0 ± 2.0 | 7.4 ± 1.9 | NS |
|
| |||
| Leukocytes | |||
| Increasing, N (%) | 36 (69.2) | 58 (92.1) | <0.01 |
| Mean ± SD | 16023 ± 4532 | 15822 ± 4517 | NS |
| Not increasing, N (%) | 16 (30.8) | 5 (7.9) | <0.01 |
| Mean ± SD | 7518 ± 1716 | 6146 ± 3867 | NS |
|
| |||
| Polymorphonuclear leukocytes | |||
| Increasing, N (%) | 31 (59.6) | 48 (76.2) | <0.05 |
| Percentage ± SD | 67.6 ± 12.8 | 72.2 ± 12.4 | NS |
| Not increasing, N (%) | 21 (40.4) | 15 (23.8) | <0.05 |
| Percentage ± SD | 43.8 ± 11.1 | 42.3 ± 15.5 | NS |
|
| |||
| Eosinophils | |||
| Increasing, N (%) | 14 (26.9) | 20 (33.3) | NS |
| Percentage ± SD | 7.7 ± 3.4 | 6.3 ± 2.6 | NS |
| Not increasing, N (%) | 38 (73.1) | 40 (66.7) | NS |
| Percentage ± SD | 1.2 ± 1.1 | 1.2 ± 1.1 | NS |
†Dog or cat. RV: rhinovirus; RV+: positive RV infection; RV−: negative RV infection. PAS: pediatric asthma score consisted of five components as described in footnote of Table 1.