Table II.
Cellular findings in induced sputum*
| Asthma |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| EIB+ (n = 10) | EIB− (n = 10) | P value† | |
| Percentage | |||
| Eosinophils‡ | 2.07 (0.58-3.49) | 0.44 (0.00-1.49) | .123 |
| Lymphocytes‡ | 1.50 (0.78-4.36) | 1.20 (0.88-1.74) | .353 |
| Macrophages‡ | 36.89 (26.02-51.44) | 43.80 (16.14-52.22) | 1.000 |
| Neutrophils‡ | 36.20 (24.40-56.41) | 35.29 (28.50-64.86) | .579 |
| Columnar epithelial cells‡ | 7.07 (3.65-14.35) | 2.43 (1.40-10.16) | .143 |
| Squamous epithelial cells§ | 18.51 (10.41-25.70) | 34.99 (14.46-46.49) | .190 |
| Other cells¶ | 4.77 (3.15-8.42) | 7.26 (3.56-10.14) | .393 |
| Concentration (× 104) | |||
| Eosinophils‡ | 3.58 (12.06-68.71) | 0.49 (0.00-1.10) | .043 |
| Lymphocytes‡ | 2.73 (0.90-7.38) | 0.99 (0.63-2.27) | .105 |
| Macrophages‡ | 49.63 (23.18-119.01) | 22.59 (15.05-65.88) | .123 |
| Neutrophils‡ | 45.33 (23.60-127.58) | 44.03 (14.35-69.73) | .247 |
| Columnar epithelial cells‡ | 13.70 (5.91-20.13) | 2.91 (1.78-7.65) | .011 |
| Squamous epithelial Cells | 32.42 (20.43-62.47) | 38.62 (15.15-70.03) | .912 |
| Other cells¶ | 6.68 (3.52-17.62) | 5.60 (3.67-10.05) | .579 |
*
Data are expressed as medians (interquartile ranges).
†
Mann-Whitney U test.
‡
Inflammatory cells and columnar epithelial cells expressed as the percentage of nonsquamous epithelial cells.
§
Squamous epithelial cells expressed as the percentage of total cells.
¶
Cells that could not be classified.