Patient characteristics at baseline(visit three) in the two treatment groups (intention-to-treat population)
| Characteristics | Placebo | MF |
| Subjects | 70 | 70 |
| Female | 52 (74) | 47 (67) |
| Age at entry yrs | ||
| Mean | 47±11 | 45±12 |
| Range | 20–64 | 21–67 |
| Race | ||
| Caucasian | 66 (94) | 66 (94) |
| Other | 4 (6) | 4 (6) |
| FEV1 L | ||
| Mean | 3.19±0.81 | 3.13 ±0.78 |
| Range | 1.68–5.41 | 1.84–5.30 |
| FEV1 % pred | ||
| Mean | 104.2±15.5 | 103.5±13.2 |
| Range | 81–147 | 75–133# |
| Reversibility of FEV1 % | ||
| Mean | 3.6±2.8 | 4.4±3.8 |
| Range | 0.0–10.0 | 0.0–22.0¶ |
| Mean±sem morning PEF L·min−1 | 461±13 | 436±13 |
| Mean±sem evening PEF L·min−1 | 468±13 | 444±13 |
| PEF variability | 5.4±3.2 | 5.5±3.8 |
| Salbutamol puffs·day−1 | 0.44±0.86 | 0.94±0.14 |
| BHR+ | 14/34 | 21/36 |
| Atopy§ | 65/70 | 69/70 |
| Rhinitis | ||
| History of allergic rhinitis | 12 | 18 |
| Actual use of nasal steroids | 13 | 20 |
| Sputum eosinophils | ||
| Score 0–1 (<5%) | 46 | 41 |
| Score 2–4 (≥5%) | 8 | 11 |
| Sputum ECP µg·L−1 | 714±1343 | 962±1654 |
Data are presented as n, n (%) or mean±sd, unless otherwise stated. MF: mometasone furoate; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second; PEF: peak expiratory flow; BHR: bronchial hyperresponsiveness; ECP: eosinophilic cationic protein. #: one patient had an FEV1 <80% predicted at baseline (visit three). At visit two (the screening visit) all patients fulfilled the inclusion criterion of a FEV1 >80% pred; ¶: one patient showed a reversibility of FEV1 of >12% at baseline (visit three). At visit two (the screening visit) all patients fulfilled the inclusion criterion of a reversibility of <12%. +: number of hyperresponsive/number of tested subjects; §: number of skin-prick test positive/number of tested patients.