Table 1.
Clinical Characteristics of Participants.
| Healthy subjects | Asthmatics | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 7 | 7 | |
| Age (years) | 52.43 ± 4.35 | 57.57 ± 8.41 | 0.1765 |
| Male:Female | 2:5 | 3:4 | — |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 28.10 ± 2.32 | 25.28 ± 4.20 | 0.1459 |
| Ex-smoker, no. (%) | 2 (29) | 2 (29) | — |
| Blood eosinophils ( × 109) | 0.17 ± 0.11 | 0.32 ± 0.09* | 0.0162 |
| FEV1 (L) | 2.30 ± 0.28 | 2.16 ± 0.76 | 0.6556 |
| FEV1 (% predicted) | 83.24 ± 10.04 | 66.24 ± 11.14* | 0.0111 |
| FVC (L) | 2.77 ± 0.45 | 3.27 ± 1.10 | 0.2875 |
| FVC (% predicted) | 83.63 ± 10.13 | 89.43 ± 15.22 | 0.4177 |
| FEV1/FVC ratio(%) | 83.54 ± 6.20 | 59.69 ± 5.23* | <0.0001 |
BMI, body mass index; Ex-smoker was defined as not smoking for at least six months.
*p < 0.05 compared to control subjects.