Baseline characteristics of patients studied before and after treatment with budesonide 400 μg twice daily for 2 months
| Neutrophilic§ (n=11) | Others¶ (n=38) | |
|---|---|---|
| VAS=visual analogue score; 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. | ||
| §Patients with sputum neutrophils >65.3% and eosinophils <1.9%. | ||
| ¶Patients with sputum eosinophils >1.9% or neutrophils <65.3%. | ||
| Values are mean (SE) except for †median (IQR) and ‡geometric mean (log SE). | ||
| *p<0.05. | ||
| Male (%) | 27.3 | 55.3 |
| Age† | 57 (21) | 45 (22)* |
| Age at onset† | 56 (13) | 40 (29)* |
| VAS (mm) | 59 (9) | 48 (5) |
| FEV1 (% pred) | 82 (5.7) | 89 (2.4) |
| FEV1/FVC ratio (%) | 72 (3.2) | 74 (0.6) |
| % atopic | 9.1 | 42.1* |
| No of current (ex) smokers | 2 (5) | 3 (10) |
| PEF (A%M) | 22.8 (4) | 17.0 (1.5) |
| Methacholine PC20 (mg/ml)‡ | 1.0 (0.2) | 1.3 (0.11) |
| Sputum eosinophil count (%)† | 0.2 (0.9) | 6.0 (7.2)* |
| Sputum neutrophil count (%) | 78.5 (2.6) | 49.5 (4.1)* |