Prednisolone vs placebo response in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma treated with ≥12 weeks of mepolizumab (n=26)
| Median Δ with pred (95% CI) | Median Δ with placebo (95% CI) | Median difference in Δ (95% CI) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACQ-5 score | 0.0 (-0.6, 0.4) | 0.0 (-0.2, 0.4) | 0.0 (-0.2, 0.2) | 0.437 |
| Mini-AQLQ score | 0.0 (-0.1, 0.3) | 0.0 (-0.2, 0.2) | 0.0 (-0.1, 0.2) | 0.929 |
| SGRQ score | -0.7 (-4.2, 2.7) | 0.3 (-3.3, 6.2) | 0.4 (-0.7, 2.3) | 0.611 |
| VAS overall symptoms | 0.0 (-0.8, 0.1) | -0.1 (-0.8, 0.0) | 0.0 (-0.3, 0.4) | 0.896 |
| SNOT-20 total | 13.5 (2.0, 34.0)* | 10.0 (3.0, 32.0)* | 0.0 (-1.0, 3.0) | 0.882 |
| Oscillometry | ||||
| R5-20 (cmH2O.s/L) | 0.2 (-0.2, 0.4) | 0.1 (-0.2, 0.4) | 0.1 (-0.2, 0.2) | 0.686 |
| AX (cmH2O/L) | 2.6 (0.6 , 6.9) | 0.9 (-2.2, 2.5) | 1.0 (-0.4, 4.9) | 0.150 |
| X5 (cmH2O.s/L) | -0.2 (-0.8, 0.2) | 0.1 (-0.2, 0.4) | 0.0 (-0.3, 0.2) | 0.518 |
| FeNO (ppb) | -13.0 (-31.0, - 1.0) | -2.0 (-13.0, 13.0) | -13.0 (-20.5, - 4.0) | 0.001 |
| Spirometry | ||||
| FEV1 (L) | 0.1 (-0.1, 0.1) | -0.0 (-0.2, 0.1) | 0.1 (0.0 , 0.2) | 0.019 |
| FEF25-75 (L/s) | 0.2 (0.0 , 0.5) | -0.1 (-0.2, 0.1) | 0.2 (0.1 , 0.5) | 0.006 |
| Blood cell count | ||||
| Neutrophils (x109/L) | 4.0 (2.9 , 5.3) | 0.2 (-0.5, 1.0) | 3.5 (2.9 , 5.0) | < 0.001 |
| Eosinophils (x109/L) | -0.02 (-0.07, 0.00) | 0.01 (-0.01, 0.02) | -0.02 (-0.05, - 0.01) | < 0.001 |
| Sputum cell count | ||||
| Neutrophils% of total (%) | 5.4 (-8.4, 28.5) | -1.1 (-14.4, 17.5) | -1.8 (-8.2, 2.5) | 0.433 |
| Eosinophils% of total (%) | -2.0 (-8.0, 0.0) | 1.2 (0.0 , 2.5) | -1.4 (-4.0, - 0.5) | 0.002 |
Results are shown as median (IQR). Statistically significant changes are highlighted in bold.
*SNOT-20 was measured post-prednisolone and post-placebo only.
Acronyms: ACQ, Asthma Control Questionnaire; AQLQ, Asthma Qualify of Life Questionnaire; SGRQ, St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire; VAS, visual analogue scale; SNOT, Sino-Nasal Outcome Test; FeNO, fractionated exhaled nitric oxide.