Table 3. Comparisons of baseline characteristics according to the severity of asthma in children.
| NAEPP classification | Mild intermittent | Mild persistent | Moderate/severe persistent | Total | P value* | Trend P value† | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of patients (%) | 251/667 (37.6) | 260/667 (39.0) | 156/667 (23.4) | 667 (100.0) | |||
| Age (yr) | 8.9 ± 2.5 | 8.7 ± 2.5 | 9.5 ± 2.8 | 9.47 ± 4.23 | 0.005 | 0.002 | |
| Sex (male) | 176/251 (70.1) | 159/260 (61.2) | 107/156 (68.6) | 442/667 (66.3) | 0.079 | NA | |
| Gestational age (wk) | 38.6 ± 2.4 | 38.5 ± 2.5 | 38.9 ± 2.2 | 38.6 ± 2.4 | 0.407 | 0.258 | |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 18.4 ± 3.6 | 18.4 ± 3.6 | 19.1 ± 3.5 | 18.6 ± 3.6 | 0.078 | 0.042 | |
| Asthma onset age (yr) | 0.011 | < 0.001 | |||||
| < 3 | 50/246 (20.3) | 39/254 (15.4) | 19/152 (12.5) | 108/652 (16.6) | |||
| 3 ≤ age < 6 | 99/246 (40.2) | 80/254 (31.5) | 43/152 (28.3) | 222/652 (34.0) | |||
| 6 ≤ age < 9 | 55/246 (22.4) | 76/254 (29.9) | 49/152 (32.2) | 180/652 (27.6) | |||
| 9 ≤ age < 12 | 32/246 (13.0) | 42/254 (16.5) | 25/152 (16.4) | 99/652 (15.2) | |||
| ≥ 12 | 10/246 (4.1) | 17/254 (6.7) | 16/152 (10.5) | 43/652 (6.6) | |||
| Family history of allergic diseases | 170/246 (69.1) | 183/253 (72.3) | 113/153 (73.9) | 466/652 (28.5) | 0.550 | 0.286 | |
| Parental history of asthma | 37/246 (15.0) | 47/248 (19.0) | 30/153 (19.6) | 114/647 (17.6) | 0.397 | 0.210 | |
| C-section delivery | 35/105 (33.3) | 46/120 (38.3) | 21/47 (44.7) | 102/272 (37.5) | 0.397 | 0.176 | |
| History of bronchiolitis | 98/243 (40.3) | 88/250 (35.2) | 36/151 (23.8) | 222/644 (34.5) | 0.004 | 0.001 | |
| Maternal education level | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | |||||
| ≤ High school | 43/242 (17.8) | 65/253 (25.7) | 58/150 (38.7) | 166/645 (25.7) | |||
| College | 165/242 (68.2) | 168/253 (66.4) | 76/150 (50.7) | 409/645 (63.4) | |||
| Graduate school | 34/242 (14.0) | 20/253 (7.9) | 16/150 (10.7) | 70/645 (10.9) | |||
| Atopy | 192/219 (87.7) | 182/232 (78.4) | 125/139 (89.9) | 499/590 (84.6) | 0.003 | 0.922 | |
| Multi-sensitization (≥ 2 allergens) | 178/219 (81.3) | 164/232 (70.7) | 115/139 (82.7) | 457/590 (77.5) | 0.006 | 0.894 | |
| ACT score | 22.65 ± 3.22 | 20.76 ± 4.37 | 19.07 ± 4.84 | 21.10 ± 4.31 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | |
| Current FA | 36/249 (14.5) | 24/236 (9.2) | 19/154 (11.9) | 79/663 (11.9) | 0.188 | 0.375 | |
| Current AD | 71/246 (28.9) | 52/252 (20.6) | 45/152 (29.6) | 168/650 (25.8) | 0.053 | 0.843 | |
| Current AR | 188/246 (76.4) | 198/254 (78.0) | 112/152 (73.7) | 498/652 (76.4) | 0.619 | 0.614 | |
| FA diagnosis ever | 64/247 (25.9) | 50/253 (19.8) | 50/154 (32.5) | 164/654 (25.1) | 0.015 | 0.275 | |
| AD diagnosis ever | 110/247 (44.5) | 85/254 (33.5) | 64/154 (41.6) | 259/655 (39.5) | 0.034 | 0.338 | |
| AR diagnosis ever | 206/247 (83.4) | 200/260 (76.9) | 117/155 (75.5) | 523/662 (79.0) | 0.095 | 0.042 | |
Values are presented as mean ± standard deviation or number (%).
NAEPP, National Asthma Education and Prevention Program; NA, not applicable; ACT, Asthma Control Test; FA, food allergy; AD, atopic dermatitis; AR, allergic rhinitis.
*χ2 test; †Linear-by-linear association.