Characteristics of the 941 study participants
| Control | CRS only | Asthma only | Both asthma and CRS | p Value for difference between conditions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects (number) | 226 | 110 | 475 | 130 | |
| Female (%) | 51 | 46 | 60*§§ | 57 | 0.02 |
| Age (years) mean (95% CI) | 47.5 (45.5 to 49.5) | 45.4 (42.5 to 48.3) | 44.7 (43.3 to 46.0) | 44.6 (42.1 to 47.2) | 0.10 |
| BMI (kg/m2) mean (95% CI) | 25.0 (24.5 to 25.5) | 26.4 (25.4 to 27.4) | 26.6*** (26.1 to 27.0) | 27.1*** (26.3 to 28.0) | <0.001 |
| Smoking | |||||
| Never smoked (%) | 57 | 53 | 54 | 49 | 0.35 |
| Ex-smokers (%) | 34 | 31 | 36 | 37 | |
| Current smokers (%) | 10 | 16 | 9 | 14 | |
| Skin prick test positivity (%) | 31 | 32 | 71***§§§ | 64***§§§ | <0.001 |
| Allergic rhinitis (%) | 23 | 41*** | 69***§§§ | 72***§§§ | <0.001 |
| Inhaled asthma medicines (%) | 0 | 11*** | 75***§§§ | 82***§§§ | <0.001 |
| FeNO (ppb) geometric mean (95% CI) | 15.6 (14.3 to 16.9) | 17.0 (15.4 to 18.7) | 19.3*** (18.2 to 20.5) | 18.8 (16.6 to 21.3) | <0.001 |
| Smell test score mean (95% CI) | 9.8 (9.6 to 10.0) | 9.1** (8.7 to 9.5) | 9.9§§§ (9.8 to 10.1) | 9.3*## (9.0 to 9.7) | <0.001 |
| PNIF (L/min) geometric mean (95% CI) | 117 (111 to 122) | 100** (91 to 110) | 115§§ (111 to 119) | 111 (103 to 118) | <0.001 |
| NOx (μg/m3) geometric mean (95% CI) | 11.7 (11 to 12.6) | 11.3 (10.1 to 12.7) | 12.5 (11.8 to 13.2) | 12.3 (11.1 to 13.7) | 0.36 |
| NO2 (μg/m3) geometric mean (95% CI) | 10 (9.4 to 10.7) | 9.4 (8.4 to 10.4) | 10.4 (9.8 to 10.9) | 10.3 (9.3 to 11.3) | 0.40 |
*p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001 compared to controls; §p<0.05, §§p<0.01, §§§p<0.001 compared to CRS; ##p<0.01 compared to asthma.
CRS, chronic rhinosinusitis; FeNO, Fraction of exhaled NO; PNIF, Peak Nasal Inspiratory Flow.