Characteristics of children studied
| Controls(n = 7) | Moderate asthma(n = 7) | Severe asthma(n = 9) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 second; PEF, peak expiratory flow. | |||
| *These children had no previous history of asthma or atopy. | |||
| Mean (range) age (years) | 10.3 (5–15) | 9.2 (5–15) | 9.9 (7–13) |
| Mean (range) duration of asthma (years) | – | 4.1 (0.2–11) | 6.9 (0.3–11) |
| Sex (M:F) | 6:1 | 4:3 | 4:5 |
| Treatment | |||
| Inhaled corticosteroids | – | 1 | 9 |
| Budesonide | 400 μg | 800–1000 μg | |
| Sodium cromoglicate | – | 7 | No treatment |
| Long acting β2 agonists | 2 | 4 | |
| Sustained release theophylline | – | 3 | |
| Mean (SD) FEV1 (% predicted) | NA* | 77.3 (22.2) | 58.4 (17.3) |
| Mean (SD) PEF (% predicted) | NA* | 79.4 (21.1) | 59.2 (9.9) |
| Median (range) total serum IgE (units/ml) | NA* | 375 (43–1917) | 1404 (36–3099) |