Table 1 Characteristics of subjects
| Â | Normal | Non-Severe asthma | Severe asthma |
|---|---|---|---|
n | 14 | 12 | 11 |
Age (yr) | 21 ± 0.4 | 43 ± 3 | 47 ± 3 |
Atopy | 0/14 | 11/12 | 9/11 |
M/F | 12/2 | 7/5 | 4/7 |
FEV 1 (% Predicted) | 98 ± 3 | 85 ± 3 | 58 ± 6* |
PC 20 (mg/ml) | >16 | 5.73 ± 2.7 | 0.64 ± 0.14* |
Inhaled corticosteroid BDP equivalent (μg/day) | 0 | 527 ± 239 (n = 6) | 2400 ± 414* (n = 11) |
Oral prednisolone (mg/day) | 0 | 0 | 19.1 ± 3.2 (n = 6) |
Total BAL Cells (× 106) | 9.19 ± 1.4 | 8.36 ± 0.8 | 6.1 ± 0.99 |
BAL-Macs (×106) | 9.02 ± 1.32 | 8.17 ± 0.76 | 5.81 ± 1.00 |
BAL-Neu (×106) | 0.1 ± 0.03 | 0.063 ± 0.016 | 0.15 ± 0.03 |
BAL-Eos (×106) | 0.018 ± 0.012 | 0.026 ± 0.012 | 0.07 ± 0.03 |
BAL-Mac (%) | 97.9 ± 0.5 | 97.8 ± 0.4 | 92.9 ± 1.5** |
BAL-Neu (%) | 1.03 ± 0.3 | 0.8 ± 0.2 | 3 ± 0.7* |
BAL-Eos (%) | 0.21 ± 0.09 | 0.29 ± 0.14 | 1.4 ± 0.55* |