Subject characteristics: bronchoscopy cohort
| Group | ||||
| SAn | SAs/ex | MMA | HC | |
| Subjects | 46 | 16 | 34 | 41 |
| Age years¶,+,§,ƒ | 50.5±2.1 | 52.0±2.1 | 39.5±2.4 | 39.9±2.1 |
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 24 | 7 | 19 | 13 |
| Male | 22 | 9 | 15 | 28 |
| BMI kg·m−2¶,+,§,ƒ | 30.2±0.9 | 30.1±1.5 | 26.5±0.8 | 25.2±0.6 |
| FEV1 % pred¶,+,§,ƒ,## | 73.0±3.1 | 64.7±3.6 | 93.1±2. 9 | 102.0±1.8 |
| Exacerbations in last year¶,§ | 2.8±0.3 (n=34) | 2.9±0.4 (n=12) | 1.4±0.4 (n=34) | NA |
| Smoking history | ||||
| Never-smoker | 83 | 88 | 80 | |
| Current smoker | 31 | |||
| Ex-smoker (<5 pack-years) | 17 | 69 | 12 | 20 |
| Positive atopic status¶,+,ƒ,## | 33/43 (77) | 12/14 (86) | 278/28 (96) | 14/30 (47) |
| Rhinitis diagnosed#,+,§,## | 37/45 (82) | 8/16 (50) | 29/31 (94) | 6/13 (46) |
| Nasal polyps¶,§ | 17/43 (40) | 6/15 (40) | 2/32 (6) | 3/12 (25) |
| GORD¶ | 19/35 (54) | 8/14 (57) | 9/31 (29) | 9/26 (35) |
| Regular medication used | ||||
| Anti-IgE | 5/41 (12) | 1/12 (8) | NA | NA |
| Antibiotics | 12/43 (28) | 5/11 (45) | NA | NA |
| LT modifier | 26/44 (59) | 7/14 (50) | NA | NA |
| Macrolides | 8/46 (17) | 7/15 (47) | NA | NA |
| OCS | 19/44 (43) | 7/14 (50) | NA | NA |
| Xanthines | 7/42 (17) | 1/12 (8) | NA | NA |
| FeNO ppb#,+ | 38.0 (20.0–60.5) (n=41) | 20.0 (12.5–34.3) (n=15) | 22.0 (17.5–55.0) (n=34) | 18.3 (14.5–29.0) (n=38) |
| Blood eosinophils | ||||
| Count ×103 μL–1+,## | 0.3 (0.1–0.4) | 0.2 (0.2–0.2) | 0.2 (0.1–0.3) | 0.1 (0.1–0.2) |
| % | 3.6 (1.7–6.3) | 1.8 (1.2–3.6) | 3.1 (1.9–5.55) | 2.3 (1.5–3.3) |
| Blood neutrophils | ||||
| Count ×103 μL–1#,¶,+,§,ƒ | 4.8 (3.4–6.1) | 6.84 (4.0–8.6) | 3.2 (2.7–4. 6) | 2.7 (2.2–3.7) |
| %¶,+,§,ƒ | 63.1 (54.3–70.4) | 63.9 (54.3–76.7) | 56.6 (51.9–61.9) | 55.9 (50.0–62.9) |
| Sputum eosinophils | (n=23) | (n=6) | (n=16) | (n=22) |
| Count¶,+,ƒ | 15.0 (2.0–64.0) | 36.0 (2.0–101.0) | 3.5 (0–11.0) | 0 (0–2.0) |
| %¶,+,ƒ | 2.8 (0.5–12.4) | 7.1 (0.4–18.9) | 0.6 (0–2.1) | 0 (0–0.3) |
| Sputum neutrophils | (n=23) | (n=6) | (n=16) | (n=22) |
| Count+,## | 292.0 (205.0–389.5) | 223.5 (183.0–264.0) | 258.0 (139.5–388.5) | 139.5 (92.0–235.0) |
| %+,## | 52.7 (38.7–70.4) | 39.4 (31.8–521) | 52.2 (28.5–68.4) | 28.5 (16.2–47.2) |
Data are presented as n, mean±se, %, n/N (%) or median (interquartile range), unless otherwise stated. If there is missing data the number of subjects data is available from is given. SAn: severe asthma nonsmokers; SAs/ex: severe asthma current/ex-smokers; MMA: mild–moderate asthma; HC: healthy controls; BMI: body mass index; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; GORD: gastro-oesophageal reflux disease; LT: leukotriene; OCS: oral corticosteroid; FeNO: exhaled nitric oxide fraction. Differences (p<0.05) are indicated as: #: SAn versus SAs/ex; ¶: SAn versus MMA; +: SAn versus HC; §: SAs/ex versus MMA; ƒ: SAs/ex versus HC; ##: MMA versus HC.