Characteristics of patients with isolated sputum neutrophilia and all other patients studied
| Neutrophilic§ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| β agonist only (n=35) | Inhaled steroids (n=25) | Other¶ (n=194) | |
| FEV1=forced expiratory volume in 1 second; FVC=forced vital capacity; PC20=concentration of methacholine provoking a fall in FEV1 of 20% or more; PEF=peak expiratory flow. | |||
| Values are mean (SE) except for †median (IQR) and ‡geometric mean (log SE). | |||
| *p<0.05; **p<0.01. | |||
| §Patients with sputum neutrophils >65.3% and eosinophils <1.9%. | |||
| ¶Patients with sputum eosinophils >1.9% or neutrophils <65.3%. | |||
| Male (%) | 34 | 28 | 50* |
| Age† | 54 (24) | 48 (13) | 45 (25)* |
| Age at onset† | 41 (30) | 42 (28) | 34 (40)* |
| FEV1 (% pred) | 88 (2.8) | 86 (3.2) | 86 (1.1) |
| FEV1/FVC ratio (%) | 75 (1.5) | 74 (2.4) | 74 (0.6) |
| % atopic | 22.9 | 32 | 48.4* |
| % taking inhaled steroids | 0 | 100 | 46.4 |
| PEF (A%M) | 20.9 (3.2) | 25.2 (2.8) | 24.3 (1.5) |
| PC20 (mg/ml)‡ | 1.4 (0.09) | 1.2 (0.10) | 1.0 (0.06) |
| Sputum eosinophil count (%)† | 0.4 (0.9) | 0.7 (0.9) | 5.0 (13.1)** |
| Sputum neutrophil count (%) | 81.0 (1.6) | 85.3 (2.0) | 39.5 (1.4)** |