Characteristics of study groups
| Status | HC | P | PP | A | P A | PA+X |
| N | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 4 |
| Age (years) | 29.7±7.2 | 29.7±5 | 29±4.3 | 26.5±7.9 | 27.4±6.1 | 31.2±4.9 |
| Gestational age (weeks) | NA | 26.2±2.1 | NA | NA | 25.1±1.9 | 31.3±4.9 |
| ACQ | NA | NA | NA | 0.71 (0.71) | 0.35 (0.72) | 1.94 (0.95*) |
| %FEV1 | 109.6±11.8 | 101.4±8.5 | 98.7±9.7 | 92.8±9.1* | 88.2±11.1* | 75.5±21.9* |
| Blood IgE (IU/ml) | nd | 39.5 (47) | 39 (117) | nd | 289 (384)* | 200.5 (246.5)* |
| ICS use (n) | NA | NA | NA | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| ICS daily dose (μg/day BUD equivalent) | NA | NA | NA | 0 (500) | 200 (800) | 400 (800) |
Parametric data represented as mean±SD, non-parametric data as median (IQR).
ACQ, a measure of asthma control based on the asthma control questionnaire, where an ACQ score of >1.5 is considered to be uncontrolled asthma; %FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 s as per cent predicted; Blood IgE, total allergy score; IU, international units; ICS use, number of women on inhaled corticosteroids at the time of sample collection; ICS daily dose, total µg/day of budesonide (BUD) equivalents. Asthmatics were currently on budesonide-eformoterol (Symbicort), budesonide or fluticasone-salmeterol (Seretide), where 0.5 µg fluticasone propionate=1 µg budesonide; nd, no data were collected; NA, not applicable; HC, healthy control (non-pregnant, non-asthmatic); P, pregnant; PP, post partum; A, asthma; PA, pregnant asthmatic; PA+X, pregnant asthmatic with current asthma exacerbation.
*p<0.001.