Table 5

p values (χ² test) and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for all pathological criteria studied and the pathologists’ proposed diagnosis of asthma

	Desquamation	Metaplasia	Epithelial inflammation	Epithelial eosinophils	Thickening of RBM	Submucosal inflammation	Submucosal eosinophils
RBM = reticular basement membrane.
Results from reproducible observers only (A and C) should be considered.
Observer A
p value	0.07	0.474	0.695	0.004	0.056	0.001	<10⁻⁹
OR	2.54	0.64	0.83	23.74	2.41	8.91	77
95% CI	0.91 to 7.09	0.19 to 2.19	0.32 to 2.12	1.27 to 444	0.96 to 6.04	1.95 to 40.71	15 to 384
Observer B
p value	0.09	0.482	0.003	<10⁻⁶	0.58	0.15	<10⁻⁹
OR	1.97	0.41	5.35	87.97	1.36	6.64	243
95% CI	0.77 to 5.03	0.08 to 2.11	1.63 to 17.57	4.94 to 1566	0.45 to 4.13	0.35 to 124.38	38.26 to 1539
Observer C
p value	0.399	0.033	0.163	0.031	0.259	0.499	<10⁻⁹
OR	2.67	0.20	2.25	13.42	3.29	1.65	999
95% CI	0.46 to 15.53	0.04 to 0.98	0.71 to 7.14	2.32 to 259	0.64 to 17.05	0.20 to 91.77	400 to 999