Table 2 Demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological features according to blood total IgE level

No. Patients (total n = 125)

n = 71, 56.8%

n = 54, 43.2%

Male/Female

38/33

24/30

0.315

Age (mean ± SD, years)

61.30 ± 15.37

63.78 ± 12.25

0.317

BMI (mean ± SD, kg/m²)

21.88 ± 3.064

23.95 ± 2.854

0.000

Ever-smoker (n, %)

18/70, 27.91%

17/54, 22.9%

0.593

 Smoking Index (median, IQR)

760 (300, 800)

50 (150, 600)

0.215

Respiratory symptoms (n, %)

 Cough

70/71, 98.6%

50/54, 92.6%

0.090

 Sputum

67/71, 94.4%

51/54, 94.4%

0.985

 Hemoptysis

25/71, 35.2%

17/54, 31.5%

0.662

 Dyspnea

31/71, 43.7%

24/54, 44.4%

0.930

Annual exacerbations (median, IQR)

1.0 (1.0, 2.0)

1.0 (1.0, 2.0)

0.913

Blood test

 WBC (10⁹/l, median, IQR)

6.06 (5.05, 7.59)

6.74 (5.30, 7.96)

0.347

 HB (g/l, median, IQR)

132.7 ± 18.61

131.9 ± 17.48

0.799

 Neutrophil (10⁹/l, median, IQR)

3.77 (2.98, 4.78)

4.24 (3.07, 5.38)

0.300

 Eosinophil (%, median, IQR)

2.20 (1.40, 3.20)

2.50 (1.40, 5.20)

0.205

 Eosinophil (cell/ul, median, IQR)

130 (80, 210)

170 (100, 300)

0.137

 Positive specific IgE to Aspergillus fumigatus (n, %)

0/71, 0%

3/54, 5.6%

0.044

Sputum culture

 Negative

38/53, 71.7%

29/36, 80.6%

0.654

 Isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

10/53, 18.9%

5/36, 13.9%

 Isolation of other bacteria^§

5/53, 9.4%

2/36, 5.6%

Chest HRCT

 Number of lobes involved (median, IQR)

3 (2, 4)

4 (3, 5)

0.008

 ≥ 3 lobes involved (n, %)

43/71, 60.6%

44/54, 81.5%

0.012

 Bilateral involved (n, %)

44/71, 62.0%

42/54, 77.8%

0.059

 Lobes involved (n, %)

  Upper lobes

40/71, 56.3%

36/54, 66.7%

0.241

  Middle/ lingula lobe

57/71, 80.3%

46/54, 85.2%

0.476

  Lower lobes

65/71, 91.5%

52/54, 96.3%

0.283

 Smith score (median, IQR)

6 (3, 11)

7 (4, 11)

0.552

 Bhalla score (median, IQR)

6 (3, 9)

7 (4, 10)

0.128

 Bronchiectasis type (n, %)

  Cylindrical

21/71, 29.6%

17/54, 31.5%

0.819

  Cystic and/or mixed

50/71, 70.4%

37/54, 68.5%

 Mucus plugs

7/71, 9.9%

14/54, 25.9%

0.017

Lung function

 FEV₁% predicted (%, median, IQR)

68.0 (40.4, 83.0)

79.0 (64.0, 93.5)

0.017

 FEV₁/FVC (%, median, IQR)

67.3 (51.0, 77.0)

71.9 (66.0, 79.0)

0.149

 RV/TLC (mean ± SD, years)

50.3 ± 13.44

50.2 ± 12.32

0.965

BSI score (median, IQR)

9.0 (6.5, 13.0)

9.0 (8.0, 12.8)

0.983

 0–4

10/53, 18.9%

6/36, 16.7%

0.903

 5–8

14/53, 26.4%

11/36, 30.6%

 ≥9

29/53, 54.7%

19/36, 52.8%

E-FACED score (median, IQR)

3.0 (1.0, 4.0)

2.0 (2.0, 4.0)

0.889

 0–3

32/53, 60.4%

21/36, 58.3%

0.978

 4–6

18/53, 34.0%

13/36, 36.1%

 7–9

3/53, 5.7%

2/36,5.6%