Characteristics of exacerbations in Phase 2
| Severe exacerbations | Mild exacerbations | |||||
| CS | SS | p-value | CS | SS | p-value | |
| Number n (%) | 18 (22.9) | 5 (10.6) | 0.004 | 61 (77.1) | 42 (89.4) | 0.08 |
| Symptoms score | 3.5±0.4 | 3.9±0.9 | NS | 4.6±1.0 | 4.4±0.8 | NS |
| Pre BD FEV1 % pred | 60.5±11.1) | 63.8±19.4) | NS | 74.7±16.9 | 82.0±16.9 | 0.03 |
| Occurrence by asthma severity | ||||||
| Very mild to mild | 1 (9.1) | 0 | NS | 10 (90.9) | 13 (100) | NS |
| Moderate to severe | 17 (25.0) | 5 (14.7) | NS | 51 (75.0) | 29 (85.3) | NS |
Data are presented as mean±sd or n (%), unless otherwise stated. CS: clinical strategy; SS: sputum strategy; Pre-BD FEV1 % pred: forced expiratory volume in one second expressed as per cent predicted before administrating bronchodilator (salbutamol).