Table 1.
Clinical characteristics in CF with and without positive sputum for filamentous fungi at stable state.
| Variable | Fungal culture positive | Fungal culture negative | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total N | Total N | ||||
| Male n (%) | 30 | 13 (43%) | 31 | 16 (52%) | 0.517 |
| Age (years) | 30 | 15 (7–53) | 31 | 16 (0.5–59) | 0.919 |
| DF508 homozygous n (%) | 30 | 13 (43%) | 31 | 14 (45%) | 0.886 |
| Pancreatic insufficient n (%) | 30 | 26 (87%) | 31 | 28 (90%) | 0.654 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 30 | 20.8 (13.5–30.1) | 31 | 19.5 (15.3–27.6) | 0.573 |
| Indoor mold exposure n (%) | 29 | 12 (40%) | 30 | 9 (29%) | 0.659 |
| Ivacaftor n (%) | 30 | 1 (3%) | 31 | 3 (10%) | – |
| Prophylactic antibiotics n (%) | 29 | 16 (55%) | 30 | 17 (56%) | 0.993 |
| Nebulized antibiotics n (%) | 29 | 14 (48%) | 30 | 14 (47%) | 0.992 |
| Inhaled steroids n (%) | 28 | 19 (68%) | 31 | 10 (32%) | 0.008 |
| Oral steroids n (%) | 29 | 3 (10%) | 31 | 1 (3%) | – |
| 3 monthly ivab n (%) | 29 | 11 (38%) | 30 | 5 (17%) | 0.185 |
| SA colonization n (%) | 29 | 6 (21%) | 30 | 4 (13%) | 0.753 |
| PA colonization n (%) | 29 | 8 (28%) | 30 | 9 (30%) | 0.979 |
| Previous NTM n (%) | 29 | 12 (41%) | 30 | 3 (10%) | 0.022 |
| Bronchiectasis on CT n (%) | 17 | 13 (76%) | 11 | 7 (64%) | 0.225 |
| ABPA n (%) | 29 | 4 (14%) | 30 | 6 (20%) | – |
| Total IgE (KU/L) | 29 | 156 (5–4,433) | 29 | 76 (3–4,273) | 0.260 |
| Asp. IgE (KUA/L) | 27 | 0.33 (0–41) | 30 | 0.05 (0–37.8) | 0.378 |
| Asp. IgG (mg/L) | 29 | 58 (15–185) | 28 | 52 (6.8–181) | 0.139 |
| FEV1 predicted (%) | 30 | 72 (21–122) | 28 | 80 (24–131) | 0.920 |
| FEV1/FVC (%) | 30 | 70 (32–97) | 28 | 72 (41–92) | 0.767 |
| LCI | 9 | 11.6 (7.75–20.72) | 11 | 7.84 (6.41–13.85) | 0.972 |
| Sputum lymphocyte count (%) | 13 | 0 (0–0.5) | 11 | 0 (0–5.75) | 0.289 |
| Sputum macrophage count (%) | 13 | 2.75 (0–32) | 11 | 2 (0.25–28.25) | 0.511 |
| Sputum eosinophil count (%) | 13 | 0.1 (0–2.75) | 11 | 0.25 (0–14.5) | 0.631 |
| Sputum neutrophil count (%) | 13 | 94.88 (67.75–99.5) | 11 | 92.75 (10.25–98.5) | 0.887 |
IVAB, Intravenous antibiotics; ICS, inhaled corticosteroid; SA, Staphylococcal aureus; PA, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, NTM, non-tuberculous mycobacteria; IgE, Immunoglobulin E; Asp IgE, Aspergillus specific IgE; Asp IgG, Aspergillus specific immunoglobulin G; FEV1, Forced expiratory volume in one second; FVC, Forced vital capacity; LCI, Lung clearance index. Colonization is defined as >50% samples positive over 12-month period.
Categorical data is presented as frequency (n) and analyzed using Chi-squared test. Continuous data is presented as median and range. Non-parametric data was analyzed as comparison of medians across groups using the Mann-Whitney U test. Statistical significance was defined as P value < 0.05.
Bold values signify statistical significance at P < 0.05.