Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics Among Individuals with Severe vs Other Asthma
| Characteristics | Severe Asthma | Other Asthma | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total n=744 | n=71 | n=673 | ||
| Women | % | 69.0 | 61.1 | 0.202 |
| Age (Min-Max: 19–78 years) | median (IQR) | 59.2 (44.7–68.6) | 46.9 (35.4–59.5) | <0.001 |
| Age of asthma onset | median (IQR) | 20.0 (9.0–42.0) | 15.5 (7.0–30.0) | 0.026 |
| Asthma onset, later than 40 years | % | 29.6 | 13.7 | 0.002 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | median (IQR) | 27.7 (24.1–32.2) | 26.4 (23.8–29.6) | 0.112 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | median (IQR) | 96.5 (86.0–108.0) | 91.0 (83.0–101.8) | 0.023 |
| Atopic | % | 40.3 | 57.7 | 0.007 |
| Allergic or chronic rhinitis | % | 81.7 | 83.1 | 0.742 |
| Comorbidity | ||||
| Nasal polyps | % | 19.7 | 16.3 | 0.502 |
| Angina pectoris | % | 8.5 | 1.8 | 0.005 |
| Myocardial infarction | % | 4.2 | 1.0 | 0.061 |
| Heart failure | % | 7.0 | 0.4 | <0.001 |
| Arrhythmias | % | 7.0 | 5.3 | 0.580 |
| Other heart disease | % | 1.4 | 2.4 | 1.000 |
| ≥1 medication related to heart disease | % | 26.8 | 8.6 | <0.001 |
| Smoking status | 0.341 | |||
| Never smoker | % | 46.5 | 55.1 | |
| Former smoker | % | 33.8 | 26.6 | |
| Current smoker | % | 19.7 | 18.3 | |
| Smoking history | ||||
| Pack-years | median (IQR) | 18.0 (4.0–36.0) | 10.0 (4.0–22.0) | 0.084 |
| Pack-years >10 years | % | 38.0 | 25.6 | 0.075 |
| Exposed to gas, dust or fumes at work | % | 33.8 | 28.7 | 0.141 |
| Family history of asthma, allergy or both | 0.502 | |||
| History of both | % | 23.9 | 26.6 | |
| History of asthma | % | 4.2 | 7.4 | |
| History of allergy | % | 18.3 | 19.8 | |
| No history | % | 38.0 | 36.6 | |
| Level of education | 0.045a | |||
| Compulsory school ≤9 years | % | 33.3 | 19.6 | |
| Upper secondary school ≤4 years | % | 30.4 | 38.7 | |
| University ≥1 year | % | 36.2 | 41.8 |
Notes: aMantel-Haenszel test for trend. Bold figures indicate statistical significance.