Table 1.
Baseline demographics of study participants
| Asthma and bronchiectasis (Group 1) | Bronchiectasis without asthma (Group 2) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers | 38 | 34 | |
| Age (years) | 64.0 (59.3, 68.6) | 63.6 (57.9, 69.4) | 0.76 |
| Sex | |||
| Female | 22 (57.9%) | 22 (64.7%) | 0.55 |
| Male | 16 (42.1%) | 12 (35.3%) | |
| Smoking status | |||
| Never | 27 (71.1%) | 28 (82.4%) | 0.28 |
| Ex-smokers (greater or more than 1 year) | 11 (28.9%) | 6 (17.6%) | |
| Current Smokers or smokers less than 1 year | 0 | 0 | |
| Place of intravenous antibiotics | |||
| Domiciliary | 30 (79.0%) | 27 (79.4%) | |
| In hospital | 8 (21.0%) | 7 (20.6%) | 1 |
| Treatment length | |||
| 14 days | 22 (57.9%) | 15 (44.1%) | 0.24 |
| Shortened treatment | 16 (42.1%) | 19 (55.9%) | |
| Duration of shortened treatment (days) | 7 (7, 8.50) | 7 (7, 7) | 0.51 |
| Aetiology | |||
| Idiopathic | 21 (55%) | 15 (44%) | 0.34 |
| Post infectious | 8 (21%) | 11 (32%) | 0.3 |
| ABPA | 3 (8%) | 0 (0%) | 0.24 |
| Immune defect | 2 (5%) | 3 (9%) | 0.66 |
| Inflammatory arthritis | 1 (3%) | 0 (0%) | 1 |
| Ciliary defect | 2 (5%) | 1 (3%) | 1 |
| Inflammatory bowel disease | 0 (0%) | 1 (3%) | 0.47 |
| Interstitial lung disease | 0 (0%) | 3 (9%) | 0.1 |
| Other | 1 (3%) | 0 (0%) | 1 |
| WCC (× 109/L) | 7.50 (6.28, 8.72) | 7.95 (5.95, 10.1) | 0.73 |
| Neutrophils (× 109/L) | 4.64 (3.90, 5.81) | 4.66 (3.77, 6.88) | 0.78 |
| Lymphocytes (× 109/L) | 1.80 (1.43, 2.20) | 1.72 (1.22, 1.99) | 0.21 |
| Monocytes (× 109/L) | 0.60 (0.53, 0.77) | 0.70 (0.53, 0.89) | 0.19 |
| Eosinophils (× 109/L) | 0.20 (0.10, 0.30) | 0.14 (0.088, 0.21) | 0.1 |
| CRP (mg/L) | 8.00 (4.00, 18.0) | 9.00 (3.00, 19.0) | 0.98 |
| ESR (mm/hr) | 13.0 (7.00, 32.8) | 21.0 (8.00, 34.0) | 0.39 |
| Colonized with | |||
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | 19 (50%) | 18 (53%) | 0.01 |
| Other pathogens | 19 (50%) | 10 (29%) | |
| No growth/mixed normal flora | 0 (0%) | 6 (18%) | |
| Bacterial load (cfu/Ll) | 7.1 × 107 (9.8 × 106, 2.5 × 108) | 1.4 × 107 (5.0 × 106, 2.0 × 108) | 0.08 |
| On inhaled steroids | 36 (94.7%) | 17 (50.0%) | < 0.0001 |
| Inhaled steroid dose (beclometasone equivalent in mcg) | 2000 (1000, 2000) | 2000 (1600, 2000) | 0.22 |
| On long-term oral steroids | 2 (5.3%) | 1 (2.9%) | 1 |
| On long-term antibiotics | |||
| Oral | 4 (10.5%) | 0 (0%) | 0.12 |
| Inhaled | 1 (2.6%) | 4 (11.8%) | 0.18 |
| Intravenous | 1 (2.6%) | 2 (5.9%) | 0.6 |
| ISWT (m) | 260 (130, 450) | 305 (165, 422) | 0.86 |
| FEV1 (L) | 1.64 (1.20, 2.50) | 1.51 (1.09, 1.84) | 0.24 |
| FEV1 (% predicted) | 70.0 (53.0, 79.0) | 66.5 (54.5, 83.5) | 0.6 |
| FVC (L) | 2.46 (2.08, 3.40) | 2.25 (1.87, 2.88) | 0.21 |
| FVC (% predicted) | 82.0 (65.0, 98.5) | 78.0 (70.0, 95.5) | 0.98 |
| Radiological severity | |||
| 3 or more lobes affected or cystic bronchiectasis in any lobe | 24 (63.2%) | 24 (70.6%) | 0.62 |
| BSI | |||
| Total score | 11.1(9.79, 12.4) | 10.1 (8.22, 12.0) | |
| Mild | 0 (0%) | 6 (17.6%) | 0.27 |
| Moderate | 13 (34.2%) | 9 (26.5%) | |
| Severe | 25 (65.8%) | 19 (55.9%) | |
| LCQ (units) | 10.2 (7.82, 13.0) | 11.8 (8.80, 15.4) | 0.14 |
| SGRQ (units) | 48.4 (30.8, 64.4) | 36.1 (21.2, 49.7) | 0.06 |
Data presented as median (interquartile range) or number (percentage)
ABPA allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis; WCC white cell count; CRP c-reactive protein; ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate; ISWT Incremental shuttle walk test; FEV1 Forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC Forced vital capacity; BSI Bronchiectasis Severity Index; LCQ Leicester Cough Questionnaire; SGRQ St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire