Characteristic | Low-eDNA (n = 95) | High-eDNA (n = 39) | P-value |
---|---|---|---|
Age, years | 52 (44–63) | 51 (43–59) | 0.57 |
Sex, % male | 49 | 41 | 0.44 |
BMI, kg/m2 | 27.3 (24.0–29.0) | 26.3 (23.8–34.4) | 0.58 |
Smoking history % | 20 | 27 | 0.37 |
Current smokers, % | 9 | 10 | 1.0 |
Severe asthma, % | 41 | 64 | 0.021 |
Severe exacerbations in last 12Â months, % | 49 | 74 | 0.012 |
ICS dose, µg | 450 (250–950) | 500 (450–1000) | 0.026 |
OCS use, % | 20 | 33 | 0.12 |
OCS dose; mg | 7.5 (5–11) | 12 (10–15) | 0.14 |
Blood cell counts, 103/µl | |||
 Eosinophils | 245 (140–477) | 190 (135–450) | 0.56 |
 Neutrophils | 4035 (3302–5758) | 4810 (3415–6135) | 0.24 |
Sputum cell counts | |||
 Eosinophils, 106/ml | 0.03 (0.01–0.14) | 0.06 (0.01–0.24) | 0.29 |
 Eosinophils, %* | 1.5 (0.4–5.1) | 2.0 (0.35–14.1) | 0.87 |
 Neutrophils, 106/ml | 0.81(0.31–1.83) | 2.5 (1.0–5.8) |  < 0.0001 |
 Neutrophils, %* | 48 (30–61) | 65 (40–77) | 0.005 |
 Macrophages, 106/ml | 0.56(0.36–0.93) | 0.67 (0.37–1.1) | 0.43 |
 Macrophages, %* | 37 (18–56) | 19 (11–34) | 0.002 |
Sputum cell viability, % | 80 (71–87) | 80 (70–88) | 0.93 |
Duration of sputum induction, min | 21 (14–21) | 21 (14–21) | 0.30 |
FeNO, ppb | 25 (15–46) | 22 (11–35) | 0.1 |
FEV1, % | 87 (74–99) | 76 (59–87) | 0.002 |
FVC, % | 109 (96–116) | 104 (90–112) | 0.06 |
FEV1/FVC, % | 68 (61–73) | 62 (54–72) | 0.059 |
FEF50, % | 58 (38–78) | 37 (24–61) | 0.004 |
FEF25–75, (l/s) | 1.74 (1.2–2.3) | 1.19 (0.64–2.0) | 0.016 |
R20, KPa/l/s | 0.32 (0.27–0.38) | 0.33 (0.28–0.41) | 0.29 |
R5, KPa/l/s | 0.40 (0.35–0.50) | 0.49 (0.38–0.62) | 0.043 |
R5-20, % | 32 (16–54) | 51 (20–80) | 0.058 |
X5Hz, KPa/l/s | − 0.12 (− 0.18–0.09) | − 0.20 (− 0.26–0.13) |  < 0.001 |
RV, % | 118 (103–132) | 132 (107–164) | 0.015 |
RV/TLC, % | 36 (33–42) | 41 (37–48) | 0.012 |
sReff, % | 98 (75–138) | 133 (89–189) | 0.016 |
LCI | 6.1 (5.6–6.6) | 6.9 (6.2–7.9) |  < 0.001 |