Table E3.
Clinical characteristics of the study participants from whom bronchial biopsies were collected
| Characteristic | Nonobese (BMI < 30) |
Obese (BMI ≥ 30) |
P value | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (y)∗ | 51 (3) | 49 (2) | .4652 | 61 |
| Sex: male, n (%) | 20 (60.6) | 11 (39.3) | .1261 | 61 |
| BMI (kg/m2)∗ | 26 (0.36) | 36 (0.84) | <.0001 | 61 |
| Daily inhaled corticosteroid dose (μg/d)∗† | 1267 (101) | 1504 (98) | .2384 | 61 |
| Submucosal eosinophils (cells/mm2) | 8.58 (5.91-18.84) | 16.23 (12.37-29.27) | .0238 | 34 |
| Epithelial eosinophils (cells/mm2) | 0 (0-10.5) | 3.9 (0-6.3) | .4919 | 25 |
| Sputum eosinophil count (%) | 5.8 (1.9-32.8) | 4 (1.8-10.2) | .1444 | 59 |
| Peripheral blood eosinophil count (109/L) | 0.34 (0.21-0.60) | 0.25 (0.17-0.47) | .2134 | 61 |
| ECP (ng/mL) | 31.9 (19.5-54.0) | 26.8 (14.6-55.2) | .5377 | 56 |
| Feno (PBB) | 38.3 (19.5-64.8) | 27.8 (18.1-56.9) | .3512 | 60 |
| Total IgE (kU/L) | 172 (77-440) | 158 (90-352) | .8120 | 59 |
| Atopic/nonatopic | 29/4 | 26/2 | .6781 | 61 |
| BTS Asthma step | 4 (4-4) | 4 (4-5) | .0927 | 61 |
BMI, Body mass index; ECP, eosinophil cationic protein; PPB, parts per billion.
Data from 33 nonobese patients and 28 obese patients based on a BMI threshold of 30 are presented as median (interquartile range) unless otherwise stated; P values calculated using Mann-Whitney U test or, for categorical data, using a Fisher exact test.
∗
Mean (SEM).
†
Beclomethasone dipropionate equivalent.