| Characteristic | Placebo (n = 20) | Etanercept (n = 19) |
| Sex | ||
| Female | 12 | 12 |
| Male | 8 | 7 |
| Age (y) | ||
| Median | 44.0 | 39.0 |
| Range | 22–66 | 18–69 |
| Duration of asthma (y) | ||
| Median | 30.0 | 28.0 |
| Range | 2–55 | 2–41 |
| Corticosteroid use | ||
| OCS and ICS | 9 | 12 |
| ICS alone | 11 | 7 |
| Nebulised β2 agonist use | ||
| Number | 7 | 7 |
| Mean daily dose (mg/day) | 12.5 | 13.6 |
| Oral theophylline use | ||
| Number | 7 | 10 |
| Mean daily dose (mg/day) | 617.6 | 612.5 |
| Antidepressant use | ||
| Number | 5 | 5 |
| Asthma control | ||
| AQLQ (total score) | 3.56 (1.15) | 3.72 (1.05) |
| ACQ (total score) | 3.07 (0.74) | 3.34 (1.16) |
| Lung function | ||
| Actual FEV1 (l) | 1.84 (0.78) | 1.80 (0.62) |
| % Predicted FEV1 | 58.8 (17.8) | 59.3 (17.7) |
| Forced expiratory ratio (FEV1/FVC) | 0.63 (0.12) | 0.60 (0.13) |
| FEV25-75 | 1.16 (0.78) | 1.04 (0.61) |
| PEF | ||
| Morning PEF (l/min) | 302 (88) | 283 (91) |
| Evening PEF (l/min) | 314 (89) | 300 (98) |
| Diurnal variation in PEF | 30.2 (28.5) | 28.9 (27.7) |
| Average daily PEF (l/min) | 308 (87) | 291 (93) |
| PC20†(mg methacholine/ml) | 2.49 (4.05) | 1.92 (2.07) |
| Serum measurements | ||
| Eosinophils (×109/l) | 0.53 (0.38) | 0.40 (0.30) |
| Neutrophils (×109/l) | 5.24 (2.05) | 5.84 (2.80) |
| Albumin (g/l) | 39.9 (3.57) | 40.6 (2.71) |
| CRP (mg/l) | 5.24 (4.12) | 3.86 (3.36) |
| TNFα (pg/ml) | 2.49 (1.31) | 2.94 (5.85) |
| Total IgE (IU/ml) | 395 (566) | 595 (1084) |
| Sputum cells (n = 8 both groups) | ||
| *Eosinophils (%) | 10 (6.1, 21) | 4.0 (2.9, 5.9) |
| *Neutrophils (%) | 40 (30, 53) | 32 (20, 34) |
| *Macrophages (%) | 44 (23, 55) | 51 (43, 60) |
| Sputum cytokines (n = 8 both groups) | ||
| *IL6 (pg/ml) | 43.1 (24.35, 80.1) | 37.7 (22.6, 75.63) |
| *IL8 (pg/ml) | 1696.2 (1157.9, 2282.5) | 2500.5 (1710.8, 3548.6) |
| *IL1β (pg/ml) | 0 (0, 54.4) | 55.8 (39.55, 173.2) |
All values are means (SD) unless stated.
*Values are median (IQR).
†n = 13 in the placebo and n = 11 in the etanercept group.
ACQ, Asthma Control Questionnaire; AQLQ, Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire; CRP, C reactive protein; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC, forced vital capacity; ICS, inhaled corticosteroid; IL, interleukin; OCS, oral corticosteroid; PEF, peak expiratory flow; TNFα, tumour necrosis factor α.