Change in parameters in the three groups following two weeks of treatment
| Prednisolone | FP2000 | FP500 | p value2-165 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FEV1 (% pred) | 4.4 (−4.9;10.8) | 6.5 (0;17.0) | 6.3 (−1.6;12.4) | 0.13 |
| PC20 methacholine (DC) | 0.90 (0.24 to 1.56) | 1.99 (1.50 to 2.48)2-150 | 1.69 (1.14 to 2.25) | 0.02 |
| PC20 AMP (DC) | 2.15 (0.83 to 3.47) | 4.04 (2.85 to 5.22)2-150 | 3.54 (2.53 to 4.55) | 0.06 |
| Blood eosinophils (%) | −3.3 (−6.9;−1.4)2-152 | −2.1 (−5.3;−0.4)2-160 | −0.4 (−2.1;0.4) | <0.001 |
| Sputum eosinophils (%) | −3.5 (−13.8;−0.5) | −4.2 (−7.5;−1.0) | −2.3 (−10.1;−0.8) | 0.03 |
| Serum ECP (μg/l) | −8.1 (−16.9;−1.5)2-152 | −4.1 (−12.4;0.2) | −2.1 (−7.3;3.4) | 0.02 |
| Sputum ECP (μg/l) | −38 (−148;−2.6) | −44 (−234;−5.3)2-160 | −25 (−107;11.2) | 0.06 |
| Serum cortisol (nmol/l) | −118 (−285;51)2-152 | −155 (−285;−35)2-160 | 0.0 (−103;95) | 0.005 |
PC20 methacholine and AMP are expressed as means with 95% CI. All other parameters are expressed as medians with interquartile ranges.
DC = doubling concentrations; ECP = eosinophilic cationic protein.
p⩽0.05 (tested with ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis).
↵2-150 FP2000 versus prednisolone;
↵2-160 FP2000 versus FP500;
↵2-152 prednisolone versus FP500.
↵2-165 p value in last column is for the difference between all three treatment groups by ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test.