| Patients with complete follow-up | All other eligible patients | p-value | ||
| Subjects n | 93 | 44 | ||
| Male | 56 (61) | 26 (60) | 0.90 | |
| Age yrs | 4.5 (2.2–6.8) | 4.6 (2.1–6.9) | 0.67 | |
| Duration of outpatient clinic asthma care before study months | 17 (8–27) | 17 (9–28) | 0.58 | |
| Maintenance medication | ||||
| ICS | 86 (92) | 42 (95) | 0.51 | |
| ICS and long-acting bronchodilators | 7 (8) | 2 (5) | 0.51 | |
| ICS (fluticasone) dose μg | 250 (125–500) | 250 (125–500) | 0.73 | |
| Scheduled visits to outpatient clinic in yr before study | 5 (4–6) | 4 (2–5) | 0.007 | |
| Hospitalisations in yr before study | 0 (0–5) | 0 (0–1) | 0.07 | |
| ACQ baseline (<0.75=well controlled, >1.5=not well controlled) | 0.5 (0.2–1.3) | NA | NA | |
| PACQoL baseline (score 1–7; 1=low, 7=high) | 6.2 (5.3–6.8) | NA | NA | |
| Smoking parent(s) | 28 (30) | NA | NA | |
| Educational level of mother (1=low, 7=high) | 5 (4–7) | NA | NA | |
| Positive specific IgE to common inhalant allergens | 43 (50) ¶ | 24 (65)+ | <0.001 | |
| FEV1 baseline# | 0.66±1.1 | NA | NA | |
| FVC baseline# | 0.29±1.3 | NA | NA | |
| Rrs,int baseline# | 1.90±2.8 | NA | NA | |
Data are presented as n (%), median (interquartile range) or mean±sd, unless otherwise specified. ICS: inhaled corticosteroids; ACQ: Asthma Control Questionnaire [20]; PACQoL: Paediatric Asthma Caregiver Quality of Life Questionnaire; Ig: immunoglobin; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC: forced vital capacity; Rrs,int: resistance of respiratory system measured by the interrupter technique; NA: not available. #: z-score, n=33; ¶: n=86; +: n=37.