Table 4.
Asthma features at 12 months, by baseline eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) tertile. Data represent the mean ± standard error of the mean or the number of participants (%).
| Low ECP (<3.12 ng/ml) | Intermediate ECP (3.12–16.22 ng/mL) | High ECP (≥16.23 ng/mL) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type-2 inflammatory markers | |||
| ECP (ng/mL) | 1.28 ± 0.44 | 19.50 ± 6.07* | 62.29 ± 6.12* |
| Blood eosinophils (cells/microliter) | 244.6 ± 27.2 | 353.1 ± 43.9* | 271.1 ± 31.4 |
| Blood eosinophils (%) | 3.60 ± 0.45 | 6.10 ± 0.84* | 4.73 ± 0.47* |
| Exhaled nitric oxide (ppb) | 25.8 ± 5.2 | 40.7 ± 5.0* | 36.0 ± 28.4* |
| Asthma control1 | |||
| ACQ-6 score | 0.63 ± 0.13 | 1.18 ± 0.14 | 1.00 ± 0.14 |
| ACT or CACT score | 22.1 ± 0.5 | 19.1 ± 0.8 | 20.2 ± 0.7 |
| Uncontrolled asthma | 12 (27.3) | 21 (51.2)* | 23 (46.0)* |
| PAQLQ score2 | 6.01 ± 0.14 | 5.83 ± 0.17 | 5.83 ± 0.20 |
| Lung function2 | |||
| FVC (% predicted) | 101.9 ± 2.3 | 103.5 ± 2.8 | 101.9 ± 1.4 |
| FEV1 (% predicted) | 94.4 ± 2.2 | 92.7 ± 3.1 | 88.7 ± 2.3 |
| FEV1/FVC (% predicted) | 92.5 ± 1.8 | 89.3 ± 2.1 | 87.0 ± 1.6* |
| FEF25–75 (% predicted) | 80.2 ± 4.8 | 73.4 ± 4.8 | 66.9 ± 3.9* |
| Exacerbation history, past 12 months3 | |||
| Any systemic corticosteroid burst | 20 (28.2) | 23 (36.5) | 35 (50.0)* |
| Any Emergency department visit | 19 (26.8) | 14 (22.2) | 31 (44.3)* |
| Any hospitalization | 3 (4.2) | 3 (4.8) | 12 (17.2)* |
*
p<0.05 vs. low ECP
1
Low ECP, n=44; Intermediate ECP, n =41; High ECP, n=50
2
Low ECP, n=45; Intermediate ECP, n =39; High ECP, n=47
3
Low ECP, n=71; Intermediate ECP, n=63, High ECP, n=70