Median (range) differential cell counts (%) in sputum, bronchial wash, and BAL fluid
| Eosinophilic bronchitis | Asthma | Normal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| *p<0.05, | |||
| **p<0.01, Kruskal-Wallis test. | |||
| Induced sputum | |||
| Eosinophil | 9.75 (3.3–68)** | 3.4 (0–33.5)** | 0.35 (0–2.75) |
| Neutrophil | 48 (9–83) | 25 (0–77) | 46 (8–84) |
| Macrophage | 27 (0–83)* | 64 (1–91) | 50 (12–90) |
| Lymphocytes | 0.5 (0–2) | 0.4 (0–2) | 1 (0–4) |
| Epithelial cell | 0.8 (0–11) | 3 (1–5) | 2 (1–15) |
| Squamous contamination | 5 (0–20) | 9 (0–24) | 2 (0–7) |
| Viability | 71 (34–94) | 62 (18–86) | 58 (37–84) |
| Total cell count | 2.7 (0.8) | 2.5 (0.6) | 1.8 (0.3) |
| Bronchial wash | |||
| Eosinophil | 2.4 (0.5–25)** | 1.4 (0–40.5)** | 0 (0–1) |
| Neutrophil | 47 (7.5–73.5) | 24 (2.6–85.6) | 43 (4.3–65.7) |
| Macrophage | 26 (5–60) | 30 (3–64) | 43 (7–90) |
| Lymphocytes | 0.7 (0–4) | 0 (0–2) | 0.6 (0–3) |
| Epithelial cell | 17 (0–65) | 32 (1–81) | 20 (6–34) |
| Viability | 54 (28–79) | 49 (20–82) | 46 (12–74) |
| Recovery (%) | 35 (20–40) | 30 (0–50) | 31 (20–50) |
| Total cell count × 106 | 0.5 (0.2–1.6) | 0.5 (0–3) | 0.5 (0.06–2.5) |
| BAL fluid | |||
| Eosinophil | 1.6 (0–13)* | 1.5 (0–4)* | 0.5 (0–2) |
| Neutrophil | 5.4 (0.2–36) | 5.6 (0–46) | 3.1 (0–24) |
| Macrophage | 74 (35–94) | 80 (38–98) | 84 (43–94) |
| Lymphocytes | 7.8 (2–28) | 7.8 (0.2–18) | 5.7 (1–15) |
| Epithelial cell | 4.4 (1–22) | 5 (1–33) | 3 (0–26) |
| Viability | 82 (65–92) | 86 (64–94) | 78 (49–86) |
| Recovery (%) | 27 (17–40) | 27 (19–31) | 28 (8–47) |
| Total cell count × 106 | 6.5 (3–9) | 6.2 (2–15) | 6.7 (0.8–19) |