Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of participants.
| Items | HCs (n = 19) | Asthma (n = 29) | Severe asthma (n = 29) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (y), M ± SD | 51.73 ± 6.64 | 57.82 ± 10.51 | 62.31 ± 10.14 | 0.002 |
| Sex M/F, n/n (%/%) | 9/10 (47.4/52.6) | 11/18 (37.9/62.1) | 26/3 (89.7/10.3) | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2), M ± SD | 23.99 ± 2.68 | 25.23 ± 3.95 | 22.54 ± 3.28 | 0.015 |
| Smoking history, n (%) | 0.024 | |||
| Never-smoker | 13 (68.4) | 23 (79.3) | 13 (44.8) | |
| Ex-smoker | 6 (31.6) | 6 (20.7) | 16 (55.2) | |
| ACT, M ± SD | 22.75 ± 1.29 | 12.93 ± 3.16 | <0.001 | |
| Lung function indexes, median (IQR) | ||||
| FEV1 (L) | 2.6 (2.4-3.3) | 1.8 (1.6-2.0) | 1.0 (0.8-1.2 | <0.001 |
| FEV1/FVC (%) | 81.2 (77.6-82.4) | 69.3 (57.8-74.2) | 39.2 (30.0-50.7) | <0.001 |
| FEV1%predicted (%) | 101.8 (98.1-103.0) | 74.8 (65.7-87.5) | 32.8 (26.2-42.0) | <0.001 |
| Biochemical indexes, median (IQR) | ||||
| IgE (mg/l) | 58.6 (27.0-442.0) | 104.0 (58.2-228.4) | 205.8 (161.5-1214.5) | 0.008 |
| Blood eosinophils (×109) | 0.15 ± 0.12 | 0.20 ± 0.19 | 0.36 ± 0.19 | <0.001 |
| Blood neutrophils (×109) | 3.75 ± 0.86 | 4.33 ± 1.32 | 4.94 ± 1.75 | 0.020 |
Note: Chi-square test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), or Kruskal-Wallis test for comparisons followed by Dunn's multiple comparisons test. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Abbreviations: HC: healthy control; M: male; F: female; BMI: body mass index; ACT: asthma control test; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 second; FVC: forced vital capacity; IgE: immune globulin E; M ± SD: mean ± standard deviation; IQR: interquartile range.