Occupational exposures, smoking and airway inflammation in refractory asthma

BMC Pulmonary Medicine

Table 1 Descriptive statistics of demographic and clinical assessments at visit 1 (sample size N = 66)

	Count/Median	Percentage/IQR (25^th-75^thpercentile)	Count N
Age (years)	59.9	49.2 – 65.7	66
Female	34	52%	66
Age of asthma diagnosis (years)	18.5	6.0 – 42.0	66
Currently Employed	43	65%	66
Ex-smoker	19	29%	66
Ex-smoker Pack years	1.7	0.50 – 5.00	19
Atopic asthma	50	76%	66
Past 12 months unscheduled doctors visit	38	58%	66
Past 12 months oral corticosteroids	28	42%	66
Past 12 months hospitalisation	5	8%	66
Asthma control score (ACQ)	1.41	1.00 – 2.14	66
Quality of Life Total Score	5.71	4.81 – 6.44	66
FEV₁% predicted	69.4	53.0 – 82.4	66
FEV₁/FVC	66.7	58.0 – 76.0	66
ICS dose/1000 (mg/day)^†	2	1 – 2	65
PD₁₅ ^‡	4.84	1.39 – 14.26	42
Dose response slope^*	2.59	0.76 – 5.59	53

Count and percentage displayed for categorical variables and median and IQR otherwise.
^†Inhaled corticosteroids normalisation: 1 μg beclomethasone = 1 μg budesonide = 0.5 μg fluticasone.
^‡PD₁₅: provocation dose causing fall in FEV₁ of ≥15% from baseline.
^*Dose response slope: % fall FEV₁/mL 4.5% saline.

ISSN: 1471-2466