Difference in lung function between early-onset and late-onset adult asthma
| Early-onset (n=191) | Late-onset (n=127) | Unadjusted mean difference | Adjusted mean difference† | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | MD (95% CI) | MD (95% CI) | |
| Pre-BD (% predicted) | ||||
| FEV1 | 87.2 (16.5) | 90.1 (15.2) | −2.8 (−6.4 to 0.8) | −2.7 (−6.3 to 0.9) |
| FVC | 95.0 (13.3) | 96.1 (12.8) | −1.1 (−4.1 to 1.9) | 0.1 (−3.0 to 3.2) |
| FEV1/FVC | 91.1 (10.9) | 92.7 (9.6) | −1.6 (−3.9 to 0.8) | −2.8 (−5.3 to −0.3)* |
| FEF25–75 | 73.6 (29.9) | 77.1 (27.7) | −3.5 (−10.1 to 3.0) | −7.0 (−14.5 to 0.5) |
| Post-BD (% predicted) | ||||
| FEV1 | 91.6 (15.0) | 94.5 (14.2) | −3.0 (−6.3 to 0.4) | −2.4 (−5.8 to 0.9) |
| FVC | 96.8 (12.6) | 97.8 (12.1) | −1.1 (−3.9 to 1.8) | 0.3 (−2.9 to 3.4) |
| FEV1/FVC | 94.2 (10.7) | 95.8 (9.2) | −1.6 (−3.9 to 0.7) | −2.6 (−5.0 to 0.1)* |
| FEF25–75 | 83.2 (31.0) | 89.0 (29.8) | −5.8 (−12.7 to 1.1) | −8.7 (−16.6 to 0.7)* |
| Reversibility, %Δ | 6.0 (7.7) | 5.5 (6.4) | 0.4 (−1.2 to 2.1) | 0.9 (−0.8 to 2.5) |
*p<0.05.
†Adjusted for smoking status, social class, family history of obstructive lung, childhood lung infections.
BD, bronchodilator; FEF, forced expiratory flow; MD, mean difference.
The bolded text identifies results reaching statistical significance (p<0.05).