Table 2.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study population
| SNEA group patients | AA group patients | Healthy subjects | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number, n | 8 | 12 | 12 |
| Sex, M/F | 1/7 | 7/5 | 3/9 |
| Age, years | 52.0*# ± 4.2 | 26.0 ± 2.4 | 29.0 ± 2.2 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 25.5 ± 1.9 | 25.1 ± 1.8 | 22.5 ± 1.5 |
| FEV1, l | 1.5 ± 0.2*# | 4.0 ± 0.2 | 3.9 ± 0.2 |
| FEV1, % of predicted | 56.6 ± 7.2*# | 94.6 ± 3.8 | 103.8 ± 2.7 |
| PD20, mean (range), mg (n) γ | ND | 0.11 ± 0.02 | NR |
| Blood eosinophil count, × 109/l | 0.71 ± 0.17*# | 0.33 ± 0.06# | 0.20 ± 0.02 |
| FeNO, ppb | 59.3 ± 10.1*# | 57.6 ± 5.5# | 14.3 ± 1.4 |
| IgE, IU/ml | 128.3 ± 30.2*# | 174.3 ± 26.5# | 33.0 ± 7.1 |
AA Allergic asthma, SNEA Severe non-allergic eosinophilic asthma, F Female, M Male, FEV1 Forced expiratory volume in 1 s, PD20 The provocation dose of methacholine causing a 20% decrease in FEV1, FeNO Fractional exhaled nitric oxide, IgE Immunoglobulin E, ND Not done, NR Not responded
Data presented as the mean ± standard error of the mean
γairway responsiveness was tested for 10 AA subjects; 1 subject had positive bronchial reversibility test
*p < 0.01 comparing with AA group
#p < 0.01 comparing with HS group