Table 1 Clinical characteristics of patients with eosinophilic asthma, non-eosinophilic asthma and normal controls

	Normal controls	Eosinophilic asthma	Non-eosinophilic asthma	p Value(ANOVA)	p Value (eosinophilic vs non-eosinophilic)
Number (men)	10 (5)	12 (8)	11 (3)	–	–
Age (years)	41 (22–61)	42 (27–69)	47 (19–68)	0.65	–
FEV₁ (% predicted)	105 (3.9)	90.3 (6.2)	88 (4.9)	0.05	0.96
FEV₁/FVC	82 (1.8)	73.9 (2.9)	69 (5.6)	0.025	0.58
β₂ agonist reversibilty (%)	1.1 (0.9)	9.5 (2.5)	12.7 (3.4)	0.001	0.67
Methacholine PC₂₀ (mg/ml)	>16	0.67 (0.2)	0.83 (0.2)	<0.001	0.15
Atopic (%)	2 (20)	8 (66)	2 (18)	–	–

Data given as mean (SE) except age which is given as mean (range) and methacholine PC₂₀ which is given as geometric mean (log SE).
FEV₁, forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC, forced vital capacity; β₂ agonist reversibility, percentage increase in FEV₁ following inhalation of 200 μg salbutamol; methacholine PC₂₀, concentration of inhaled methacholine which causes a 20% fall in FEV₁.