Induced sputum results and asthma treatment
| No treatment | Inhaled preventer (SCG or ICS) | Oral corticosteroid and inhaled preventer | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Values are median (IQR). | ||||
| SCG=cromoglycate; ICS=inhaled corticosteroid; ECP=eosinophil cationic protein. | ||||
| Total cell count (×106/ml) | 1.8 (0.9, 2.8) | 2.1, (0.8, 5.4) | 2.5 (1.1, 4.4) | 0.40 |
| Squamous (%) | 21.3 (4.8, 39.5) | 11.0 (3.8, 36.1) | – | 0.37 |
| Quality | 6 (4, 6) | 6 (5, 6) | 6 (6, 6) | 0.69 |
| Neutrophil (%) | 34.3 (15.5, 56.5) | 29.5 (17.5, 53.5) | 34.0 (28.0, 57.0) | 0.43 |
| Eosinophil (%) | 1.0 (0, 2) | 3.5 (1.0, 9.0) | 7.0 (1.5, 12.5) | <0.001 |
| Macrophage (%) | 55.0 (36.0, 70.5) | 47.6 (23.5, 71.6) | 32.0 (12.5, 47.5) | 0.009 |
| Lymphocyte (%) | 0.5 (0, 1.5) | 0.51 (0, 1.41) | 0.5 (0.5, 1.0) | 0.83 |
| Epithelial (%) | 2.5 (0.8, 6.0) | 3.5 (0.6, 9.0) | 9.5 (6.0, 24.5) | 0.01 |
| Mast cells (%) | 0 (0, 0) | 0 (0, 0) | 0 (0, 0) | 0.23 |
| ECP (ng/ml) | 134.7 (50.3, 302.5) | 194.8 (58.1, 777.4) | 320.8 (228.8, 616.1) | 0.16 |