Table 3.
Clinical characteristics and sputum cell numbers in asthma inflammatory phenotypes
| Variable | EA | NA | MA | PA | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 38 | 4 | 9 | 38 | |
| Age (years) | 47.08 ± 13.54△ ※ | 64.25 ± 6.75 | 56.22 ± 11.92§ | 55.18 ± 12.18§ | 0.007 |
| Male (%) | 15 (39.5) | 1 (25.0) | 4 (44.4) | 17 (44.7) | 0.899 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.97 ± 3.20 | 22.44 ± 3.02 | 25.77 ± 3.74 | 23.44 ± 3.70 | 0.271 |
| ACQ† [21] | 2.0 (2.0, 3.0) | 1.5 (1.0, 2.0) | 2.0 (0.3, 2.8) | 2.0 (1.0, 2.0) | 0.930 |
| ACT† [22] | 15 (12, 18) | 17.5 (5.5, 19.0) | 18 (12, 22.5) | 17 (13, 21.75) | 0.222 |
| AQLQ† [23] | 4 (4, 5) | 5 (5, 5) | 5 (5, 7) | 5 (4, 5) | 0.409 |
| Rhinitis (%)† | 13 (37.1) | 1 (25) | 4 (44.4) | 17 (44.7) | 0.208 |
| Anxiety† [24] | 5 (0, 7) | 2 (0, 5) | 0 (0, 11) | 4 (0, 6) | 0.473 |
| Depression† [25] | 3 (0, 7) | 3 (0, 7) | 0 (0, 7) | 1 (0, 5) | 0.771 |
| Ex-smoker (%)† | 16 (43.2) | 3 (75.0) | 6 (66.7) | 13 (34.2) | 0.154 |
| Smoking index† | 0 (0, 6.9) | 12.4 (2.4, 33.8) | 1.0 (0.0, 32.5) | 0.0 (0.0, 19.5) | 0.323 |
| Post-bronchodilator FEV1 (L) † | 2.33 (2.08, 3.13) | 0.67 (0.67, 1.61) | 2.27 (1.64, 2.92) | 2.42 (1.38, 3.04) | 0.538 |
| Post-bronchodilatorFEV1/pred (%)† | 87 (70.8, 97.7) | 29.3 (27.65, 68.9) | 81.4 (57.6, 99.15) | 90.8 (54.1, 100.4) | 0.634 |
| Post-bronchodilator FVC (L) † | 3.74 (3.11, 4.48) | 1.9 (1.71, 2.61) | 3.44 (3.07, 3.78) | 3.67 (2.39, 4.18) | 0.892 |
| Post-bronchodilator FVC/pred (%)† | 106.67 ± 24.46 | 73.33 ± 36.35 | 94.2 ± 24.95 | 100.59 ± 26.84 | 0.633 |
| FeNO (ppd) † | 42.4 (32.65, 131.5)△ | 23 (18, 76) | 72.4 (38, 108.2) | 37 (22.7, 47.45) § | 0.195 |
| ICS/LABA, n (%)† | 37 (97.3) | 4 (100) | 9 (100) | 28 (73.7) | 0.239 |
| ICS dose (μg)† | 400 (400, 500) | 450 (400, 500) | 400 (325, 500) | 500 (400, 800) | 0.319 |
| Sputum Cell Count (median (q1,q3)) | |||||
| Total cells(106/mL) † | 3.6 (1.8, 5.4) | 3.0 (0.75, 7.55) | 2.9 (1.8, 3.6) | 2.9 (1.8, 5.4) | 0.812 |
| Neutrophils (106/mL) † | 0.07 (0.01, 1.38) #※ | 2 (0.61, 4.59) △§ | 1.83 (1.32, 2.65) △§ | 0.06 (0.01, 0.48) #※ | <0.001 |
| Neutrophils, %, † | 4.0 (1.2, 10.0) #※ | 65.25 (61.0, 82.4) △§ | 70(63.3, 73.4) △§ | 2.2 (0.6, 24.0) #※ | <0.001 |
| Eosinophils (106/mL) † | 0.82 (0.21, 1.37) #※△ | 0.01 (0, 0.13) § | 0.12 (0.09, 0.22) § | 0 (0, 0.04) § | <0.001 |
| Eosinophils, %, † | 17.0 (8.7, 40.1) #※△ | 1.6 (0.2, 2.8) § | 4.9 (3.3, 13.1) § | 0.2 (0, 1.0) § | <0.001 |
| Macrophages (106/mL) † | 1.55 (0.31, 3.51) #※△ | 0.56 (0.01, 1.16) §※ | 0.47 (0.11, 0.77) §※ | 1.91 (0.56, 4.52) § #※ | <0.001 |
| Macrophages, %, † | 58.3 (37.3, 80.5) #※△ | 15.1 (7.8, 24.8)§※ | 21.3 (11.4, 28.0) §※ | 85.4 (49.1, 95.6) § #※ | <0.001 |
| Lymphocytes (106/mL) † | 0.03 (0, 0.15) | 0.21 (0.01, 0.66) | 0 (0, 0.01) | 0.03 (0, 0.17) | 0.406 |
| Lymphocytes, %, † | 1.8 (0.5, 6.6) | 5.9 (2.9, 8.9) | 0 (0, 0.5) | 1.4 (0.3, 13.0) | 0.562 |
| Columnar epithelial cells (106/mL) † | 0.04(0, 1.09) | 0.1 (0.02, 1.42) | 0 (0, 11.79) | 0.05 (0.01, 0.24) | 0.072 |
| Columnar epithelial cells, %, † | 1.4(0.5, 3.0)△ | 3.8 (2.8, 14.7) | 0 (0, 2.6) △ | 3. 5 (0.8, 11.4) §※ | 0.017 |
Note: Data are expressed as mean ± SD or median (IQR). Data were analyzed using an ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test. †: adjusted for age. NA neutrophil type, MA mixed granulocyte type, PA granulocyte-deficient type, EA eosinophilic type. p < 0.05: # vs.NA, ※ vs. MA, △ vs. PA, § vs. EA. BMI Body mass index, ACT asthma control test, ACQ Asthma control questionnaire, AQLQ-S Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, FeNO Fractional exhaled nitric oxide, FVC Forced vital capacity, FEV1 Forced expiratory volume in 1 s, ICS Inhaled corticosteroid, LABA long-acting β2-agonists