Adults | Children | |||||||
Controls | Stable asthma | Acute asthma | p-value | Controls | Stable asthma | Acute asthma | p-value | |
Subjects n | 11 | 29 | 22 | 9 | 49 | 28 | ||
TCC ×106 cells per mL | 4.9 (3.2–6.6) | 8.0 (4.2–10.6) | 9.4 (3.0–24.7) | 0.164 | 3.2 (2.1–4.4) | 3.2 (1.8–7.0) | 5.4 (2.6–20.9) | 0.064 |
Neutrophils % | 30.5# (22.8–61.0) | 50.0# (34.5–69.0) | 78.9 (68.7–84.6) | <0.001 | 15.8# (6.8–19.5) | 27.5 (11.8–58.0) | 55.3 (28.5–73.4) | 0.004 |
Neutrophils ×104 cells per mL | 194# (63–371) | 427 (148–732) | 662 (226–1884) | 0.017 | 44# (13–67) | 86# (29–358) | 267 (62–1440) | 0.004 |
Eosinophils % | 0.25 (0–0.75) | 1.00 (0.30–2.50) | 0.64 (0–2.00) | 0.056 | 0.50# (0.25–0.75) | 1.75# (0.50–4.50) | 11.75 (5.00–21.38) | <0.001 |
Eosinophils ×104 cells per mL | 1.35 (0–3.29) | 6.84 (2.43–21.87) | 6.02 (0–18.11) | 0.054 | 1.5# (0.8–1.8) | 5.5# (1.0–17.7) | 56.1 (21.8–356.0) | <0.001 |
Macrophages % | 64.3# (33.0–69.8) | 38.3# (23.3–49.5) | 15.0 (11.8–27.3) | <0.001 | 81.3#,¶ (75.3–88.0) | 58.5# (36.0–74.0) | 18.1 (10.5–37.4) | <0.001 |
Macrophages ×104 cells per mL | 228 (134–314) | 207 (147–357) | 143 (86–251) | 0.099 | 193 (174–373) | 166 (100–272) | 126 (63–302) | 0.436 |
Lymphocytes % | 0.25 (0–1.25) | 0.25 (0–0.50) | 0.51 (0–2.59) | 0.611 | 0.75 (0.50–2.00) | 1.00# (0.25–2.00) | 0.25 (0–0.96) | 0.015 |
Lymphocytes ×104 cells per mL | 1.22 (0–5.13) | 1.8 (0–5.0) | 1.62 (0–24.7) | 0.607 | 3.30 (0.36–6.19) | 3.18 (1.45–7.22) | 1.03 (0–7.88) | 0.275 |
Columnar epithelial cells % | 1.25 (0.25–2.00) | 2.50 (0.25–5.25) | 0.83 (0.26–2.76) | 0.266 | 0.75 (0–2.75) | 2.00 (0.31–4.25) | 3.0 (0.38–4.75) | 0.374 |
Columnar epithelial cells ×104 per mL | 6.84 (1.94–13.95) | 11.68 (2.66–34.02) | 5.02 (0.76–14.93) | 0.185 | 2.61 (0–4.95) | 5.72 (2.18–12.02) | 14.33 (3.13–30) | 0.038 |
Data are presented as median (interquartile range), unless otherwise stated. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used. Bold indicates statistically significant p-values. TCC: total cell count. #: p<0.008 compared with acute asthma in post hoc test; ¶: p<0.008 compared with stable asthma in post hoc test.