Eosinophils <3% | Eosinophils ≥3% | |||||
Baseline | Post ICS | Change | Baseline | Post ICS | Change | |
Symptom score | 12.0±5.7 | 3.4±6.7* | −8.6 (−11.3–−5.8) | 9.4±6.2 | 1.8±3.4* | −7.5 (−9.5–−5.5) |
Quality of life | 3.8±1.0 | 5.4±1.1* | 1.6 (1.2–2.1) | 4.2±0.7 | 5.9±0.8* | 1.7 (1.4–2.0) |
β2-agonist use inhal·day−1 | 2.4±2.7 | 0.4±0.7* | −2 (−3.1–−0.9) | 2.3±1.9 | 0.4±0.5* | −1.9 (−2.6–−1.2) |
FEV1 % pred | 83.5±21.1 | 90.4±19.5 | 6.9 (1.2–12.5) | 77.3±14.8 | 88.6±13.2 | 11.3 (7.4–15.3) |
FEV1 L | 3.0±0.08 | 3.2±0.8* | 0.3 (0.03–−0.5) | 2.8±0.7 | 3.2±0.8* | 0.4 (0.2–0.6) |
PC20 mg·mL−1 | 0.3 (0.33) | 2.9 (2.5)* | 1.7 (0.9–2.4)¶ | 0.05 (0.05) | 1.1 (0.9)* | 2.0 (1.5–2.6)¶ |
TCC 106·mL−1 | 1.7 (2.6) | 2.1 (2.7) | 0.08 (2.6) | 2.0 (1.9) | 2.0 (2.4) | 0.08 (3.3) |
Sputum eosinophils % | 1.0 (1.6) | 0.3 (1.3) | −0.4 (1.2)# | 12.1 (14.2) | 1.0 (3.6)* | −10.4 (14.3) |
Sputum eospinophils 106·mL−1 | 0.03 (0.04) | 0.02 (0.03) | −0.004 (0.02) | 0.4 (0.4) | 0.07 (0.1)* | −0.3 (0.4) |
Sputum neutrophils % | 42.9 (59.6) | 20.4 (24.9)* | −9.9 (40.4) | 37.4 (26.5) | 18.2 (41.7) | −10.5 (30.7) |
Sputum neutrophils 106·mL−1 | 0.5 (2.9) | 0.3 (0.9)* | −0.1 (2.4) | 0.4 (0.9) | 0.4 (0.8) | −0.07 (0.5) |
Data are presented as mean±sd, median (interquartile range), or mean (95% confidence interval)
ICS: inhaled corticosteroids
FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second
PD20: provocative dose causing a 20% fall in FEV1
TCC: total cell count
*: p<0.05 for comparison between baseline and post-treatment with ICS within groups with and without sputum eosinophilia
#: p≤0.05 for comparison between groups with and without sputum eosinophilia
¶: difference in PC20 is expressed by difference in doubling dose of methacholine