Table 1. Sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of the subjects included in the study, by body mass index group.a .
Variable | BMI group | p* | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Underweight | Normal weight | Overweight | Obese | ||
(n = 20) | (n = 286) | (n = 319) | (n = 299) | ||
Female gender | 17 (85) | 203 (71) | 245 (77) | 266 (89) | < 0.01 |
Age, years | 34 ± 19 | 40 ± 16 | 47 ± 14 | 47 ± 13 | < 0.01 |
Low level of educationb | 3 (15) | 26 (9) | 47 (15) | 54 (18) | 0.02 |
Late-onset asthma (≥ 18 years) | 4 (20) | 90 (31) | 120 (38) | 92 (31) | 0.14 |
Comorbiditiesc | 2 (10) | 61 (21) | 130 (41) | 171 (57) | < 0.01 |
Diagnosis of rhinitis | 18 (90) | 258 (91) | 300 (94) | 277 (93) | 0.42 |
Positive skin-prick test result | 10 (50) | 191 (67) | 199 (62) | 163 (55) | 0.03 |
Diagnosis of GERD | 8 (40) | 101 (35) | 141 (44) | 149 (66) | 0.38 |
Severe depressiond | 0 (0) | 10 (4) | 21 (7) | 26 (9) | < 0.01 |
High dose of asthma medicatione | 4 (20) | 102 (36) | 158 (50) | 173 (58) | < 0.01 |
Total serum IgE, IU/mL | 237 (39-642) | 291 (115-542) | 261 (100-451) | 269 (105-530) | 0.64 |
Eosinophils ≥ 260 cells/µL | 15 (75) | 141 (49) | 141 (44) | 134 (45) | 0.02 |
Eosinophils, cells/µL | 433 (251-579) | 258 (137-401) | 232 (130-378) | 240 (139-383) | 0.01 |
Neutrophils, cells/µL | 2,641 (1,922-4,938) | 3,399 (2,470-4,338) | 3,431 (2,394-4,533) | 3,711 (2,765-4,942) | 0.01 |
BMI: body mass index; and GERD: gastroesophageal reflux disease. aValues expressed as n (%), as mean ± SD, or as median (interquartile range). bLow level of education: being illiterate or having had fewer than 5 years of schooling. cComorbidities: hypertension, diabetes, and/or dyslipidemia. dSevere depression: severe level of depression as assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory. eHigh dose of medication: based on use of inhaled corticosteroids. *Chi-square test for categorical variables and Kruskal-Wallis test for continuous variables.