| Characteristic | rhDNase(N = 61)* | Placebo(N = 59) |
| Sex (M/F) | 40/21 | 37/22 |
| Age (years) | 4.4 (2.0–16.3) | 4.5 (2.1–15.4) |
| Duration of symptoms (n (%) of patients) | ||
| <12 h | 19 (31) | 19 (32) |
| 12–24 h | 29 (48) | 29 (49) |
| >24 h | 13 (21) | 11 (19) |
| Current asthma medication, (n (%) of patients) | ||
| No medication | 17 (28) | 11 (19) |
| Short-acting β2 agonist only | 19 (31) | 25 (42) |
| Corticosteroid | 24 (39) | 22 (37) |
| Combination (steroid + long-acting β2 agonist) | 7 (11) | 6 (10) |
| Leucotriene antagonist | 3 (5) | 1 (2) |
| Systemic corticosteroïd | 2 (3) | 2 (3) |
| Asthma score (scale 5–15) | ||
| Arrival at hospital (TA) | 12 (8–15) | 12 (8–15) |
| Baseline (T0) | 10 (5–14) | 10 (7–15) |
| Severity of asthma (n (%) of patients) | ||
| TA: | ||
| Severe (score 12–15) | 37 (61) | 33 (57)† |
| Moderate (score 8–11) | 24 (39) | 25 (43)† |
| T0: | ||
| Severe (score 12–15) | 18 (30) | 17 (29) |
| Moderate (score 8–11) | 38 (62) | 38 (64) |
| Mild (score 5–7) | 5 (8) | 4 (7) |
Data expressed as median (range) unless otherwise specified.
TA, arrival at the emergency department; T0, before nebulisation of the second dose of bronchodilators and the subsequent single dose of study medication.
*Study data were not available for one of 62 patients in the rhDNase group.
†The asthma score at arrival (TA) was missing for one patient in the placebo group.