Clinical characteristics of the patients
| Persistent asthma (n=21) | Cured asthma (n=11) | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients characteristics | |||
| Causal allergen, flour/latex | 10/11 | 4/7 | 0.56 |
| Gender, M/F | 11/10 | 4/7 | 0.41 |
| Age, year | 45.5 (40.5–50.5) | 52.0 (44.0–53.0) | 0.19 |
| Atopy (N, %)* | 16 (76) | 7 (63) | 0.47 |
| House dust mites | 14 (67) | 5 (45) | 0.28 |
| Pet dander (cat or dog) | 9 (42) | 4 (36) | 1.0 |
| Pollens (birch, grass or weeds) | 14 (67) | 4 (36) | 0.14 |
| Current or ex-smokers (N, %) | 6 (28) | 2 (20) | 0.54 |
| Smoking history, pack-years (at follow-up) | 7 (3–31) | 19 (6–32) | 0.86 |
| Duration of exposure before removal (months) | 96 (51–207) | 152 (78–234) | 0.41 |
| Time elapsed since removal from exposure, year | 8.0 (5.0–11.5) | 11.0 (7.0–12.0) | 0.33 |
| Initial assessment | |||
| ICS treatment (N, %) | 8 (38) | 3 (27) | 0.62 |
| ICS daily dose, μg† | 800 (575–950) | 800 (500–2000) | 0.91 |
| SABA use (N, %) | 11 (52) | 7 (64) | 0.56 |
| SABA use, puffs per week | 1 (0–14) | 2 (0–14) | 1.0 |
| FEV1, % predicted | 90 (80–100) | 100 (96–104) | 0.05 |
| FEV1/FVC ratio, % | 72 (65.5–80) | 80 (77–87) | 0.03 |
| Histamine PC20, mg/mL | 1.2 (0.4–2.6) | 1.4 (0.9–5.8) | 0.44 |
| Follow-up assessment | |||
| ICS treatment (N, %) | 11 (52) | 0 (0) | NA |
| ICS daily dose, μg† | 1000 (500–1000) | 0 (0) | NA |
| SABA use (N, %) | 6 (28) | 0 (0) | NA |
| SABA use, puffs per week | 7 (1–28) | 0 (0) | NA |
| FEV1, % pred | 90 (78–96) | 105 (97–107) | 0.003 |
| FEV1/FVC ratio, % | 71 (65.5–75.5) | 77 (74–79) | 0.007 |
| Histamine PC20, mg/mL | 4.7 (1.7–7.5) | 17.0 (16.0–21.0) | <0.001 |
All data are expressed as median value with 25–75th CIs unless otherwise specified.
*Atopy was defined by a positive skin test response to at least one of 20 common inhalant allergens.
†Expressed as beclomethasone dipropionate equivalent; only ICS users are taken into account.
ICS, inhaled corticosteroids; NA, not applicable; SABA, inhaled short-acting β2-agonist.