Airway inflammation and remodelling in severe, mild/moderate asthma and non asthmatic control subjects
| Severe asthma (n=53) | Mild/moderate asthma (n=7) | Control (n=15) | p | |
| BAL eosinophils % | 2.7 (1–51) | 0.7 (0–27.7) | 0 (0–5.7) | <0.001 |
| BAL neutrophils % | 3.3 (0.3–73.7) | 1.7 (0–7.3) | 2.7 (0.6–14) | NS |
| Mucosal eosinophils (/mm2) | 11.2 (0–209.3) | 3.7 (0–14.5) | 0 (0–25.1) | 0.01 |
| Mucosal neutrophils (/mm2) | 9.8 (0–125.6) | 11.4 (0–22.2) | 1.2 (0–58.3) | NS |
| Mucosal mast cells (/mm2) | 45.7 (0–185) | 63.1 (9.2–79.7) | 60.5 (0–165.6) | NS |
| Muscle mast cells (/mm2) | 12.3 (0–299) | 18.3 (0–72.8) | 0 (0–50) | NS |
| Vv (sm/subepithelium) | 0.20 (0–0.65) | 0.06 (0–0.3) | 0.09 (0–0.16) | 0.002 |
Values are median (range).
All highlighted p values denote difference between severe asthma and controls.
BAL, bronchoalveolarlavage; RBM, reticular basement membrane; sm, smooth muscle; Vv, volume fraction of airway smooth muscle indexed to subepithelium.