Table 2 Baseline characteristics of the study participants and the subgroups. Data were presented as mean (standard error of mean) or number (percentage). The differences among the subtypes were assessed using non-repeated analysis of (†P) with the Student–Newman–Keuls test for age, duration of disease, body mass index, IgE level, number of eosinophil in the blood, and spirometric parameter (post-hoc test). The differences in sex and smoking were tested using the chi-square test. *: p < 0.05, **: p < 0.01 and NS: not significant. CP-PP: between the central predominant type and peripheral predominant type; CP-R: between the central predominant type and resistless type; and PP-R: between the peripheral predominant type and resistless type

n

108

34

58

16

 Age

47.9 (1.7)

41.3 (2.7)

52.0 (2.3)

50.0 (4.0)

*

*

NS

NS

 Male/female (% of female)

45/64

14/20 (58.8)

19/39 (67.2)

11/5 (31.1)

NS

 Duration of disease (years)

4.9 (0.7)

5.1 (1.3)

5.4 (0.8)

2.4 (0.7)

NS

 Smoker/non-smoker (% of smokers)

68/40

20/14 (58.8)

37/21 (63.8)

11/5 (68.8)

NS

 BMI

25.3 (0.5)

25.6 (0.9)

25.6 (0.6)

23.8 (1.0)

NS

 Total IgE level (IU/mL)

410.0 (60.4)

440.1 (138.8)

389.9 (79.9)

426.7 (87.0)

NS

 Eosinophil in the blood (/μl)

278.4 (18.9)

227.6 (138.9)

306.4 (22.4)

271.4 (36.1)

NS

 FeNO (ppb)

71.0 (5.8)

54.9 (9,7)

72.4 (8.0)

100.0 (13.0)

NS

 % FVC

80.9 (1.7)

82.6 (2.9)

77.0 (2.4)

91.0 (2.3)

**

NS

NS

*

 % FEV1

67.3 (1.9)

72.4 (3.1)

61.4 (2.7)

77.9 (2.0)

**

*

NS

**

 FEV1/FVC ratio

69.4 (1.1)

75.1 (1.9)

65.2 (1.5)

72.8 (2.3)

**

**

NS

*

 %MMEF

33.9 (2.0)

43.8 4.0)

26.1 (2.1)

41.3 (4.2)

**

**

NS

**

 % PEF

73.1 (2.4)

74.2 (3.5)

66.4 (3.4)

95.3 (4.0)

**

NS

**

**