Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients with and without AH airways hyperresponsiveness AH
| AH PD20<80 µg | No AH PD20≥80 µg | p-value | |
| Subjects n | 47 | 48 | |
| Age yrs | 8.1±1.2 | 8.2±1.2 | 0.54 |
| Male children % | 52 | 57 | 0.74 |
| Duration of asthma yrs | 5.1±2.0 | 5.0±2.1 | 0.74 |
| Duration of ICS yrs | 2.7±1.5 | 2.5±1.7 | 0.48 |
| Mean daily dose of ICS received prior to entering study µg | 361±97 | 328±104 | 0.12 |
| FEV1 at end of washout period | 92.1±16.8 %pred | 98.3±18.0 | 0.03 |
| MEF50 at end of washout period | 63.5±23.3 %pred | 72.1±22.0 | 0.03 |
| PEF Low%High | 72.1±12.3 | 74.3±13.5 | 0.33 |
| IgE kU·l−1 | 457 (29–3966) | 132 (2–4500) | 0.001 |
| RAST positive % | 80.0 | 54.0 | 0.01 |
| PD20 µg | 31.8 (3.5–76) | 665.3 (95–1565) | <0.0001 |
Data are presented as mean±SD, or as geometric mean (range)
Mann Whitney U-test or Chi-squared test
Peak expiratory flow (PEF) variation calculated as the lowest PEF level as a percentage of the highest PEF level recorded during the first two weeks of the wash-out period
ICS: inhaled corticosteroids
FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second
MEF50: mean maximal expiratory flow
IgE: immunoglobulin-E
RAST: radioallergosorbent test
PD20: provocative dose of methacholine causing a 20% fall in FEV1