Clinical characteristics of subjects
| Eosinophilic bronchitis (n=16) | Asthma (n=15) | Normal (n=14) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FEV1=forced expiratory volume in 1 second; FVC=forced vital capacity; PC20FEV1=concentration of methacholine provoking a fall in FEV1 of 20% or more; SOB=shortness of breath. | |||
| *p<0.01, Kruskal-Wallis test. | |||
| †Median (range). | |||
| Mean (SE) age | 48 (3) | 46 (4) | 37 (5) |
| Male | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Atopy | 9 | 10 | 4 |
| Mean (SE) IgE (kU/l) | 90 (17) | 106 (29) | 36 (10) |
| Mean (SE) blood eosinophils (×109/l) | 0.44 (0.08) | 0.33 (0.06) | 0.2 (0.03) |
| Cough VAS (mm)† | 39 (10–92) | 19 (5–75) | 0 |
| Wheeze VAS (mm)† | 0 (0–6) | 10 (0–28) | 0 |
| SOB VAS (mm)† | 0 (0–10) | 5 (0–48) | 0 |
| PC20FEV1 (mg/ml)† | 94 (18–128) | 0.8 (0.16–4.6) | 128 (16–128) |
| Mean (SE) FEV1 (% pred) | 100 (2.6) | 99 (3.2) | 100 (3.7) |
| Mean (SE) FEV1/FVC (%) | 80 (1.4) | 72 (1.9) | 79 (1.8) |
| Nitric oxide (ppb)† | 12 (5–30)* | 8.5 (2–32)* | 2 (1–9) |