Table 2 Symptom frequency and treatment medication in asthmatics, by gender

Current symptoms

n (%)

n (%)

n (%)

 Have you had wheezing or whistling in your chest at any time in the last 12 months?

102 (87.9)

35 (89.7)

67 (87.0)

0.771

 Have you been at all breathless when the wheezing noise was present?

96 (82.8)

31 (88.6)

65 (97.0)

0.177

 Have you had this wheezing or whistling when you did not have a cold?

44 (37.9)

13 (38.2)

31 (46.3)

0.526

 Have you woken up with a feeling of tightness in your chest at any time in the last 12 months?

99 (85.3)

32 (82.1)

67 (87.0)

0.580

 Have you been woken by an attack of coughing at any time in the last 12 months?

78 (67.2)

24 (61.5)

54 (70.1)

0.405

 Have you been woken up by an attack of shortness of breath at any time in the last 12 months?

99 (85.3)

33 (84.6)

66 (85.7)

1.000

 Have you had an attack of asthma in the last 12 months?

112 (96.6)

38 (97.4)

74 (96.1)

1.000

 Are you currently taking any medicine for asthma?

89 (76.7)

32 (82.1)

57 (75.0)

0.483

 Steroids

15 (12.9)

3 (7.7)

12 (15.6)

0.199

 Theophylline

19 (16.4)

2 (5.2)

17 (22.4)

0.060

 SABA

68 (58.6)

27 (71.1)

41 (53.9)

0.006

 Anti-histamine

19 (16.4)

3 (7.7)

16 (20.8)

0.110

 Cough mixture

9 (7.8)

0 (0.0)

9 (11.7)

0.085

 Antibiotics

40 (34.4)

14 (35.9)

26 (33.8)

0.528

 Steroids

19 (16.4)

11 (18.2)

8 (10.4)

0.032

 SABA

35 (30.2)

16 (41.0)

19 (24.7)

0.131

 LABA

1 (0.9)

1 (2.6)

0 (0.0)

0.330