Clinical, functional and inflammatory status at time of diagnosis and current assessment
| Diagnosis | Current assessment | p-value | |
| Need for medication | |||
| No medication | 2 (5) | 8 (20) | |
| Short-acting bronchodilator only | 9 (22.5) | 10 (25) | |
| Inhaled corticosteroid | 15 (37.5) | 7 (17.5) | |
| Inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting bronchodilator | 14 (35) | 15 (37.5) | ns# |
| Daily dose of inhaled corticosteroid mg | 609±704 | 449±507 | 0.06 |
| FEV1 % pred | 81.5±18.6 | 82.7±20.6 | ns |
| FEV1/FVC % | 96.7±15.4 | 97±15.1 | ns |
| Significant bronchial hyperresponsiveness | 39 (97.5) | 22 (55) | 0.01 |
| PC20 mg·mL−1 | |||
| >16 | 1 | 10 | |
| 2–16 | 11 | 13 | |
| 0.25–<2 | 16 | 9 | |
| <0.25 | 12 | 0 | |
| Changes in PC20 n-fold variation | |||
| <2 | 24 | ||
| 2–<3.2 | 5 | ||
| ≥3.2 | 4 | ||
| Induced sputum | |||
| Total cell count 106·mL−1 | 1.68 (3.39) | 2.36 (5.07) | ns |
| Eosinophils | 3.5 (6.2) | 0.5 (2.0) | 0.005 |
| Eosinophils % | |||
| <1 | 9 | 18 | |
| 1–<2 | 3 | 8 | |
| ≥2–<5 | 9 | 2 | 0.01¶ |
| ≥5 | 10 | 6 | 0.01¶ |
| Neutrophils | 42.1 (51.0) | 46.5 (47.1) | ns |
| Neutrophils >60% | 10 (32) | 12 (35) | ns |
Data are presented as n (%), mean±sd or n, except data for total cell count, eosinophils and neutrophils, which are presented as median (interquartile values). FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second; % pred: % predicted; FVC: forced vital capacity; PC20: provocative concentration causing a 20% fall in FEV1; ns: nonsignificant. #: by comparing the number of subjects taking no medication with others, and those taking no medication and bronchodilator only with others; ¶: by comparing those with eosinophils ≥2% with others. Four out of eight subjects who did not undergo methacholine tests had positive bronchodilator tests (increase >12% in FEV1 after inhalation of short-acting bronchodilator). Slightly more subjects underwent induced sputum analysis at the follow-up visit since this testing was not yet routinely carried out at the time of diagnosis.