Small airway dysfunction in patients with cough variant asthma: a retrospective cohort study

BMC Pulmonary Medicine

Table 2 Small airways, BHR and induction sputum in CVA and CA

	CA-Sputum eosinophilia	CA-Sputum non-eosinophilia	CVA-Sputum eosinophilia	CVA-Sputum non-eosinophilia	p values
	CA-Sputum eosinophilia	CA-Sputum non-eosinophilia	CVA-Sputum eosinophilia	CVA-Sputum non-eosinophilia	CA-SE vs CA-NSE	CVA-SE vs CVA-NSE	CA-SE vs CVA-SE	CA-SNE vs CVA-SNE
n	132	86	126	115
MMEF% predicted	45.75 ± 17.49	51.14 ± 19.00	54.11 ± 19.83	55 ± 17.22	0.036	0.71	< 0.001	0.133
FEF_50% predicted	49.94 ± 18.6	55.46 ± 19.7	58.08 ± 20.12	58.91 ± 19.52	0.038	0.748	0.001	0.22
FEF_75% predicted	40.95 ± 19.51	47.58 ± 21.31	50.92 ± 21.73	50.25 ± 19.60	0.019	0.803	< 0.001	0.359
PD₂₀ (mcg)	0.46 ± 0.66	0.90 ± 0.83	0.60 ± 0.72	0.93 ± 0.82	< 0.001	0.001	0.006	0.802
Sputum eosinophils, %^a	21.81 ± 21.72	0.77 ± 0.77	17.14 ± 16.26	0.91 ± 0.72	–	–	0.048	0.032
Sputum neutrophils, %^a	61.68 ± 23.16	81.00 ± 16.33	67.44 ± 21.54	82.54 ± 14.89	< 0.001	< 0.001	0.032	0.442

MMEF, maximum mid-expiratory flow; FEF, forced expiratory flow; PD₂₀, fall of FEV₁ by 20% of pre-challenge value; CA-SE, CA-Sputum eosinophilia; CA-SNE, CA-Sputum non-eosinophilia; CVA-SE, CVA-Sputum eosinophilia; CVA-SNE, CVA-Sputum non-eosinophilia. Data are expressed as the mean ± SD; the difference between groups was analyzed by Student’s t-test or analysis of covariance. p < 0.05 versus the control; ^aAnalysis of covariance, ages as a covariance variable.

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