Differences in clinical characteristics between subjects with asthma with successful and unsuccessful human bronchial epithelial cell (HBEC) cultures
| Clinical characteristic | Successful HBEC cultures | Unsuccessful HBEC cultures | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 10 | 21 | |
| Male sex | 8 (80%) | 18 (85%) | 1.000 |
| Age | 34.2 (± 8.4) | 34.0 (±8.3 ) | 0.317 |
| ACQ | 0.5 (± 0.4) | 1 (± 0.7) | 0.162 |
| ICS | 5 (50%) | 10 (47%) | 1.000 |
| ICS and LABA | 3 (30%) | 5 (23%) | 1.000 |
| Exacerbations / year | 1.1 (1-1) | 1 (1-1) | 1.000 |
| Oral steroid courses / year | 0.1 (0-0.1) | 0.4 (0-1) | 0.007 |
| PEF (L/min) | 525 (± 112.9) | 477 (± 98.5) | 0.183 |
| PEF % predicted | 95.1 (± 13.2) | 91.8 (±17.3) | 0.940 |
| FEV1 (L) | 3.6 (± 0.9) | 3.3 (± 0.8) | 0.291 |
| FEV1% predicted | 90.4 (± 16.1) | 91.1 (± 15.8) | 0.960 |
| FVC (L) | 4.6 (± 1.1) | 4.29 (± 1.1) | 0.248 |
| FEV1/FVC ratio % predicted | 77.2 (± 6.2) | 79.6 (± 9.5) | 0.513 |
| PC20 (mg/mL) | 0.7 (0.2-2.5) | 1.0 (0.2-4) | 1.000 |
| IgE (units/mL) | 159 (46.2-218) | 158 (94-322) | 0.633 |
| SPT (number) | 3.5 (3-6) | 4 (2-4) | 0.538 |
Sex is presented as number and percentage of participants who were male. Values for age, ACQ, PEF, FEV1, FVC and FEV1/FVC ratio are presented as mean and standard deviation. Values for exacerbations and courses of oral steroids per year, histamine challenge result, IgE and number of positive skin prick tests are presented as median and IQR. ICS and ICS and LABA are presented as number and percentage.
ACQ, asthma control questionnaire score; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 second; FVC, forced vital capacity; ICS, subjects prescribed inhaled corticosteroid alone; ICS and LABA, subjects prescribed combination inhaled corticosteroid and long acting β2 agonist inhaler; PEF, peak expiratory flow; SPT, number of positive skin prick test results.