FIGURE 4.

Reduction in clinical parameters after high-dose systemic steroids. a) Clinical outputs and immune phenotype of severe therapy-resistant asthma (STRA) patients were assessed before and 4 weeks after intramuscular treatment with the steroid triamcinolone. Clinical assessment of lung function via b) forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁), c) exhaled nitric oxide fraction (F_eNO), d) asthma control test (ACT) and e) frequency of clinical exacerbations (per year). Dashed lines show clinically normal FEV₁ (>80%), ACT (>19) and F_eNO (<25 ppb) (n=11). f) Induced sputum eosinophil frequency (n=5); g) levels of eosinophil peroxidase in sputum (n=6). Mann–Whitney U-test. **: p<0.01.