TABLE 1.
Clinical characteristics of the subjects.
| Parameters | Healthy (n = 29) | Asthmatic (n = 116) | P-value* |
| Age (years) | 44.3 ± 23.1 | 42.7 ± 14.0 | 0.733 |
| Sex, n (male/female) | 21/8 | 62/54 | 0.065 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 21.9 ± 4.0 | 23.7 ± 3.6 | 0.037 |
| FEV1 pred (%) | – | 87.9 ± 18.8 | – |
| FVC pred (%) | – | 101.9 ± 16.4 | – |
| FEV1/FVC (%) | – | 86.7 ± 14.6 | – |
| Sputum eosinophil (%) | – | 6.41 ± 13.93 | – |
| Sputum neutrophil (%) | – | 65.03 ± 23.04 | – |
| Smoking, n (yes/no) | 9/20 | 24/91 | 0.244 |
| ICS, n (yes/no) | – | 78/38 | – |
BMI: body mass index, FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s, FVC: forced vital capacity, ICS: inhaled corticosteroids. *The data are presented as n (chi-square test) or as the mean ± standard deviation (independent t-test). P < 0.05 is considered significant between groups.