Clinical and inflammatory characteristics of asthma patients with low (<0.3×109 L−1) versus high (≥0.3×109 L−1) blood eosinophil counts
| Total group | Blood eosinophils <0.3×109 L−1 | Blood eosinophils ≥0.3×109 L−1 | p-value | |
| Patients | 491 | 361 | 130 | |
| Males | 39.3% | 34.9% | 51.5% | 0.001 |
| Age years | 51.8±13.0 | 50.9±13.5 | 54.2±11.4 | 0.012 |
| BMI kg·m−2 | 28.2±5.1 | 28.2±5.2 | 28.3±4.9 | 0.736 |
| Age of onset years | 44.2±14.3 | 43.7±14.3 | 45.7±14.1 | 0.176 |
| Total smoking exposure pack-years | 1 (0–12) | 1 (0–13) | 2 (0–9) | 0.880 |
| Leukocytes ×109 L−1 | 6.9 (5.8–8.5) | 6.6 (5.6–8.0) | 7.9 (6.3–9.1) | <0.001 |
| Blood neutrophils ×109 L−1 | 4.0 (3.1–5.2) | 4.0 (3.0–5.1) | 4.1 (3.3–5.4) | 0.115 |
| Blood eosinophils ×109 L−1 | 0.2 (0.1–0.3) | 0.1 (0.1–0.2) | 0.5 (0.3–0.6) | <0.001 |
| FeNO ppb | 22 (13–41) | 18 (12–33) | 40 (23–74) | <0.001 |
| Sputum neutrophils | 65.9% (43.9–82.4%) | 70.7% (47.9–84.6%) | 56.3% (33.3–77.8%) | 0.002 |
| Sputum eosinophils | 0.8% (0.1–7.3%) | 0.4% (0–2.0%) | 11.7% (2.6–37.9%) | <0.001 |
Data are presented as mean±sd or median (interquartile range), unless otherwise stated. BMI: body mass index; FeNO: exhaled nitric oxide fraction.