Table 2 Sputum cell counts and viability of asthmatics classified by phenotypes and healthy subjects

Total non-squamous cell count (× 10⁶/g)

1.18 (0.56–2.85)^‡*

1.84 (0.82–5.52)^‡*†

4.10 (1.07–12.00)^‡*†

0.81 (0.40–2.07)

0.64 (0.37–1.30)

0.0001

Viability (%)

64 (50–75)

79 (68–88)^‡*†

81 (67–86)^‡*†

64 (48–75)

67 (53–78)

0.0001

Squamous cells (%)

13 (5–25)^‡*

12 (3–28)^‡*

6 (2–23)^‡*

18 (8–35)

18 (10–31)

0.0001

Eosinophils

 x 10³/g

201 (64–636)^‡*

3 (0–27)^‡†§

271 (46–685)^‡*

3 (0–10)^‡

0 (0–2)

0.0001

 % of non-squamous cells

17.1 (7.4–38.0)^‡*

0.2 (0.0–1.0)^‡†§

5.2 (3.4–8.8)^‡*†

0.4 (0.0–1.0)^‡

0.0 (0.0–0.4)

-

Neutrophils

 x 10³/g

335 (135–823)^‡

1504 (707–4728)^‡*†

3272 (881–10992)^‡*†

270 (90–795)

210 (63–563)

0.0001

 % of non-squamous cells

33 (16–50)^*

87 (82–93)^‡*†

83 (79–88)^‡*†

42 (21–58)

36 (13–63)

-

Macrophages

 x 10³/g

288 (144–648)

169 (52–425)^‡*†

218 (77–607)

337 (167–853)

285 (120–568)

0.0001

 % of non-squamous cells

27 (16–43)^‡*

9 (4–13)^‡*†

6 (3–9)^‡*†

46 (29–61)

46 (30–67)

0.0001

Lymphocytes

 x 10³/g

19 (5–52)^‡*

12 (2–41)

19 (0–88)

10 (3–31)

10 (4–26)

0.0012

 % of non-squamous cells

1.7 (0.6–3.2)

1.0 (0.3–1.6)^‡*†

0.6 (0.0–1.8)^‡†

1.4 (0.5–2.8)

1.8 (0.8–3.4)

0.0001

Epithelial cells

 x 10³/g

56 (20–140)^‡

18 (3–67)^‡*†

15 (0–106)^*†

50 (23–115)^‡

35 (12–86)

0.0001

 % of non-squamous cells

5.0 (2.0–8.6)^*

1.0 (0.4–2.0)^‡*†

0.6 (0.2–1.8)^‡*†

6.0 (2.8–13.0)

4.8 (2.2–11.8)

0.0001