Risk factors for severe adult-onset asthma: a multi-factor approach

BMC Pulmonary Medicine

Table 1 Association between self-reported demographic factors and severe and non-severe asthma groups

	Non-severe asthma N = 1250	Severe asthma N = 100	P
Personal characteristics
Female sex, n (%)	793 (63.4)	45 (45.0)	< .001
Age, years, mean(SD)	54.0 (12.2)	58.7 (11.6)	.001
BMI¹, mean (SD)	26.9 (4.7)	27.1 (5.5)	.94
Socio-economic characteristics
Baccalaureate/secondary school, n (%)	754 (61.8)	71 (76.3)	.005
Professional training, n (%)	296 (26.0)	35 (40.7)	.004
Lifestyle factors
Ever smokers, n (%)	720 (57.6)	74 (74.0)	.001
Early-life factors
1^st child, n (%)	363 (29.0)	22 (22.0)	.14
≥ 2 siblings, n (%)	927 (75.9)	84 (89.4)	.003
Growing up in the countryside/on a farm, n (%)	937 (75.9)	77 (80.2)	.39
Severe childhood infections², n (%)	217 (18.0)	11 (11.7)	.13
Parental smoking, n (%)	648 (51.8)	53 (53.0)	.84
Parental asthma and/or allergy, n (%)	437 (36.1)	29 (29.9)	.23
Asthma characteristics
NERD, n (%)	124 (9.9)	19 (19.0)	.007
Multimorbidity
CRSwNP, n (%)	145 (11.6)	7 (7.0)	.19
≥ 1 other disease³, n (%)	843 (67.4)	86 (86.0)	< .001
≥ 1 other allergic disease (AR/AC/AD), n (%)	844 (67.5)	63 (63.0)	.38

Bold values denote statistical significance at the p < 0.05 level
NERD = patient-reported NSAID-exacerbated respiratory disease; CRSwNP = chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps; AR = allergic rhinitis; AC = allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, AD = atopic dermatitis. P values by Chi square test (dichotomous) or t-test (continuous variables). P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. ¹BMI data were missing from 6 (6.0%) severe asthmatic patients and 29 (2.3%) non-severe asthmatic patients. ²pneumonia before or during school age and/or hospitalization due to infection at ≤ 3 years of age. ³Hypertension (n = 298), coronary artery disease (n = 120), rheumatoid arthritis (n = 60), psychiatric disorder (n = 86), diabetes (n = 54), glaucoma (n = 49), back disease (n = 367), arthritis (n = 244), empyema (n = 106), other chronic disease(s) except chronic bronchitis/bronchiectasis (n = 449). Education level = baccalaureate/secondary versus primary school; professional training = completed professional college/university/courses/trade school versus no professional training. Severe asthma (Sev-Q) was defined as self-reported severe asthma and asthma symptoms causing much harm and regular impairment and ≥ 1 oral corticosteroid course/year or regular oral corticosteroids and/or waking up in the night due to asthma symptoms/wheezing ≥ a few times/month. Missing values were included and regarded as “no”

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