Table 2.
Clinical characteristics of the patients
| Overall n = 241 | Cluster 1 n = 46 | Cluster 2 n = 100 | Cluster 3 n = 16 | Cluster 4 n = 79 | pa | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean ± SD | 48.8 ± 13.1 | 47.4 ± 11.4 | 49.4 ± 12.5 | 44.9 ± 28.0 | 49.0 ± 10.6 | 0.798 |
| Sex, n (%) | 0.397 | |||||
| Male | 129 (53.5) | 31 (66.7) | 46 (46.0) | 8 (50.0) | 44 (56.1) | |
| Female | 112 (46.5) | 15 (33.3) | 54 (54.0) | 8 (50.0) | 35 (43.9) | |
| BMI, n (%) | 0.664 | |||||
| Normal (≤23.9 kg/m2) | 92 (38.2) | 21 (45.7) | 40 (40.0) | 6 (37.5) | 25 (31.6) | |
| Overweight (24.0–27.9 kg/m2) | 89 (36.9) | 112 (28.3) | 33 (33.0) | 8 (50.0) | 35 (44.3) | |
| Obese (≥28.0 kg/m2) | 60 (24.9) | 75 (26.1) | 27 (27.0) | 2 (12.5) | 19 (24.1) | |
| Smoke, n (%) | 69 (28.6) | 17 (37.5) | 27 (27.0) | 6 (37.5) | 19 (24.4) | 0.614 |
| Comorbidity, n (%) | ||||||
| Allergic rhinitis | 131 (54.4) | 27 (58.3) | 52 (52.0) | 10 (62.5) | 42 (53.7) | 0.919 |
| Rhinosinusitis | 42 (17.4) | 10 (20.8) | 17 (17.0) | 4 (25) | 11 (13.9) | 0.777 |
| Nasal polyp | 16 (6.6) | 4 (8.3) | 12 (12.0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.093 |
| Lung function | ||||||
| Pre-BD FEV1 (L), mean ± SD | 2.2 ± 0.5 | 2.5 ± 0.8 | 2.1 ± 0.6 | 2.3 ± 0.7 | 2.2 ± 0.7 | 0.222 |
| Pre-BD FEV1 CV (%), median (IQR) | 11.1 (5.6, 17.5) | 9.3 (5.5, 16.3) | 11.6 (6.7, 21.7) | 7.8 (1.8, 15.4) | 8.5 (3.6, 13.4) | 0.222 |
| Pre-BD FEV1/FVC (%), mean ± SD | 63.1 ± 12.7 | 65.9 ± 12.5 | 63.1 ± 10.1 | 62.4 ± 15.7 | 62.2 ± 14.7 | 0.709 |
| Pre-BD FEV1/FVC CV (%), median (IQR) | 6.7 (2.8, 11.0) | 6.9 (5.2, 12.5) | 6.5 (2.9, 11.3) | 3.9 (2.9, 12.5) | 7.5 (2.4, 10.6) | 0.946 |
| Treatment, n (%) | ||||||
| ICS/LABA | 241 (100) | 46 (100) | 100 (100) | 16 (100) | 79 (100) | |
| LAMA | 158 (65.6) | 23 (50.0) | 73 (73.0) | 10 (62.5) | 52 (65.9) | 0.263 |
| LTRA | 197 (81.7) | 36 (79.2) | 87 (87.0) | 12 (75) | 62 (78) | 0.639 |
| Theophylline | 162 (67.2) | 40 (87.5) | 58 (58.0) | 12 (75) | 52 (65.9) | 0.066 |
| OCS | 89 (36.9) | 23 (50.0) | 33 (33.0) | 4 (25.0) | 29 (36.6) | 0.474 |
| ACT, mean ± SD | 22 ± 4 | 21 ± 4 | 22 ± 3 | 22 ± 3 | 22 ± 4 | 0.329 |
| acute exacerbations, n (%) | 181 (75.1) | 36 (79.2) | 81 (81.0) | 12 (75.0) | 52 (65.9) | 0.117 |
ACT, asthma control test. BMI, body mass index. CV, coefficient of variation. FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 s. FVC, forced vital capacity. ICS, inhaled corticosteroids. LABA, long-acting beta-agonists. LAMA, long-acting muscarine anticholinergic. LTRA, leukotriene receptor antagonists. OCS, oral corticosteroids. pre-BD, pre-bronchodilator. SD, standard deviation.
a
Cluster 1 vs Cluster 2 vs Cluster 3 vs Cluster4