Table 3. Univariate analysis according to the number of exacerbations during the year following fibreoptic bronchoscopy
No-Ex vs. Low-Ex No-Ex vs. Low-Ex No-Ex vs. High-Ex No-Ex vs. High-Ex Low-Ex vs. High-Ex Low-Ex vs. High-Ex
OR (95% CI) p1 OR (95% CI) p2 OR (95% CI) p3
Clinical parameters
Atopic dermatitis 0.260 (0.065; 1.045) 0.057 2.035 (0.657; 6.301) 0.217 7.804 (2.199; 27.690) 0.001
Age at 1st wheeze– per month 0.979 (0.917; 1.045) 0.530 0.771 (0.647; 0.918) 0.003 0.058 (0.007; 0.451) 0.007
No. hospitalization within a year 1.629 (1.017; 2.608) 0.041 1.360 (0.859; 2.153) 0.189 0.835 (0.597; 1.167) 0.291
Treated by LABA 0.233 (0.066; 0.827) 0.024 0.602 (0.196; 1.846) 0.375 2.579 (0.825; 8.064) 0.103
ATB post-bronchoscopy 4.278 (1.208; 15.151) 0.024 2.811 (0.888; 8.898) 0.079 0.657 (0.203; 2.122) 0.483
BALF parameters
Macrophages – per 5% 0.851 (0.728; 0.994) 0.042 0.960 (0.819; 1.126) 0.623 1.129 (1.005; 1.267) 0.040
Neutrophils – per 5% 1.221 (1.013; 1.472) 0.035 1.091 (0.901; 1.322) 0.369 0.894 (0.803; 0.994) 0.039
Bacteria in the BALF 21.273 (2.398; 188.741) 0.006 4.418 (1.206; 16.191) 0.025 0.208 (0.023; 1.900) 0.164
Haemophilus genus 23.214 (4.205; 13.356) <0.001 4.086 (1.250; 13.356) 0.020 0.176 (0.035; 0.892) 0.036
H. influenzae 3.967 (1.154; 13.636) 0.029 2.644 (0.811; 8.622) 0.107 0.667 (0.234; 1.896) 0.447
H. para-influenzae 6.187 (1.188; 32.228) 0.030 4.714 (0.921; 24.130) 0.063 0.762 (0.264; 2.197) 0.615
Streptococcus genus 5.378 (1.449; 19.953) 0.012 3.123 (0.969; 10.068) 0.056 0.581 (0.168; 2.006) 0.390
S. pneumoniae 9.500 (1.091; 82.725) 0.041 3.519 (0.380; 32.585) 0.268 0.370 (0.107; 1.287) 0.118
Bronchial biopsy parameters
RBM-BSM distance – per 50µm 1.007 (0.581; 1.745) 0.978 0.172 (0.052; 0.568) 0.003 0.172 (0.053; 0.554) 0.003
Norm. fibrosis area – per 5% 1.070 (0.905; 1.264) 0.425 0.899 (0.761; 1.062) 0.213 0.841 (0.719; 0.983) 0.030
Norm. BSM area – per 5% 1.981 (1.162; 3.378) 0.012 5.059 (2.560; 9.996) <0.001 2.553 (1.588; 4.104) <0.001
RBM thickness – per µm 0.775 (0.254; 2.366) 0.655 4.391 (1.416; 13.617) 0.010 5.663 (1.900; 16.879) 0.002
Lymphocytes – per 50 /µm² 0.964 (0.899; 1.034) 0.317 0.908 (0.833; 0.989) 0.028 0.942 (0.871; 1.018) 0.130
No. = Number of; LABA= Long-acting beta-2-agonists; ATB= antibiotics; BALF = Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; PMN = Polymorphonuclear cells; Norm. = normalized; RBM= Reticular basement membrane; BSM = Bronchial smooth muscle. Patients were divided according to the number of exacerbations in the year following the fibreoptic bronchoscopy in No-Ex (0 exacerbation, n=20), Low-Ex (1 or 2 exacerbations, n=27) and High-Ex (≥3 exacerbations, n=33) groups. Univariate associations with the number of exacerbations during the year following fibreoptic bronchoscopy were determined using simple multinomial regression and results were expressed as reference group vs. compared group. For each parameter, the odds ratio (OR) is presented with its 95% confidence interval. A p value < 0.05 was considered significant (bold). Only parameters with significant OR between No-Ex vs. Low-Ex (p1) and/or No-Ex vs. High-Ex (p2) and/or Low-Ex vs. High-Ex (p3) are presented. An OR<1 was in favour of the reference group and an OR >1 was in favour of the compared group. All others non-significant parameters are available in the supplemental material (Table E2). No. = Number of; LABA= Long-acting beta-2-agonists; ATB= antibiotics; BALF = Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; PMN = Polymorphonuclear cells; Norm. = normalized; RBM= Reticular basement membrane; BSM = Bronchial smooth muscle. Patients were divided according to the number of exacerbations in the year following the fibreoptic bronchoscopy in No-Ex (0 exacerbation, n=20), Low-Ex (1 or 2 exacerbations, n=27) and High-Ex (≥3 exacerbations, n=33) groups. Univariate associations with the number of exacerbations during the year following fibreoptic bronchoscopy were determined using simple multinomial regression and results were expressed as reference group vs. compared group. For each parameter, the odds ratio (OR) is presented with its 95% confidence interval. A p value < 0.05 was considered significant (bold). Only parameters with significant OR between No-Ex vs. Low-Ex (p1) and/or No-Ex vs. High-Ex (p2) and/or Low-Ex vs. High-Ex (p3) are presented. An OR<1 was in favour of the reference group and an OR >1 was in favour of the compared group. All others non-significant parameters are available in the supplemental material (Table E2). No. = Number of; LABA= Long-acting beta-2-agonists; ATB= antibiotics; BALF = Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; PMN = Polymorphonuclear cells; Norm. = normalized; RBM= Reticular basement membrane; BSM = Bronchial smooth muscle. Patients were divided according to the number of exacerbations in the year following the fibreoptic bronchoscopy in No-Ex (0 exacerbation, n=20), Low-Ex (1 or 2 exacerbations, n=27) and High-Ex (≥3 exacerbations, n=33) groups. Univariate associations with the number of exacerbations during the year following fibreoptic bronchoscopy were determined using simple multinomial regression and results were expressed as reference group vs. compared group. For each parameter, the odds ratio (OR) is presented with its 95% confidence interval. A p value < 0.05 was considered significant (bold). Only parameters with significant OR between No-Ex vs. Low-Ex (p1) and/or No-Ex vs. High-Ex (p2) and/or Low-Ex vs. High-Ex (p3) are presented. An OR<1 was in favour of the reference group and an OR >1 was in favour of the compared group. All others non-significant parameters are available in the supplemental material (Table E2). No. = Number of; LABA= Long-acting beta-2-agonists; ATB= antibiotics; BALF = Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; PMN = Polymorphonuclear cells; Norm. = normalized; RBM= Reticular basement membrane; BSM = Bronchial smooth muscle. Patients were divided according to the number of exacerbations in the year following the fibreoptic bronchoscopy in No-Ex (0 exacerbation, n=20), Low-Ex (1 or 2 exacerbations, n=27) and High-Ex (≥3 exacerbations, n=33) groups. Univariate associations with the number of exacerbations during the year following fibreoptic bronchoscopy were determined using simple multinomial regression and results were expressed as reference group vs. compared group. For each parameter, the odds ratio (OR) is presented with its 95% confidence interval. A p value < 0.05 was considered significant (bold). Only parameters with significant OR between No-Ex vs. Low-Ex (p1) and/or No-Ex vs. High-Ex (p2) and/or Low-Ex vs. High-Ex (p3) are presented. An OR<1 was in favour of the reference group and an OR >1 was in favour of the compared group. All others non-significant parameters are available in the supplemental material (Table E2). No. = Number of; LABA= Long-acting beta-2-agonists; ATB= antibiotics; BALF = Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; PMN = Polymorphonuclear cells; Norm. = normalized; RBM= Reticular basement membrane; BSM = Bronchial smooth muscle. Patients were divided according to the number of exacerbations in the year following the fibreoptic bronchoscopy in No-Ex (0 exacerbation, n=20), Low-Ex (1 or 2 exacerbations, n=27) and High-Ex (≥3 exacerbations, n=33) groups. Univariate associations with the number of exacerbations during the year following fibreoptic bronchoscopy were determined using simple multinomial regression and results were expressed as reference group vs. compared group. For each parameter, the odds ratio (OR) is presented with its 95% confidence interval. A p value < 0.05 was considered significant (bold). Only parameters with significant OR between No-Ex vs. Low-Ex (p1) and/or No-Ex vs. High-Ex (p2) and/or Low-Ex vs. High-Ex (p3) are presented. An OR<1 was in favour of the reference group and an OR >1 was in favour of the compared group. All others non-significant parameters are available in the supplemental material (Table E2). No. = Number of; LABA= Long-acting beta-2-agonists; ATB= antibiotics; BALF = Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; PMN = Polymorphonuclear cells; Norm. = normalized; RBM= Reticular basement membrane; BSM = Bronchial smooth muscle. Patients were divided according to the number of exacerbations in the year following the fibreoptic bronchoscopy in No-Ex (0 exacerbation, n=20), Low-Ex (1 or 2 exacerbations, n=27) and High-Ex (≥3 exacerbations, n=33) groups. Univariate associations with the number of exacerbations during the year following fibreoptic bronchoscopy were determined using simple multinomial regression and results were expressed as reference group vs. compared group. For each parameter, the odds ratio (OR) is presented with its 95% confidence interval. A p value < 0.05 was considered significant (bold). Only parameters with significant OR between No-Ex vs. Low-Ex (p1) and/or No-Ex vs. High-Ex (p2) and/or Low-Ex vs. High-Ex (p3) are presented. An OR<1 was in favour of the reference group and an OR >1 was in favour of the compared group. All others non-significant parameters are available in the supplemental material (Table E2). No. = Number of; LABA= Long-acting beta-2-agonists; ATB= antibiotics; BALF = Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; PMN = Polymorphonuclear cells; Norm. = normalized; RBM= Reticular basement membrane; BSM = Bronchial smooth muscle. Patients were divided according to the number of exacerbations in the year following the fibreoptic bronchoscopy in No-Ex (0 exacerbation, n=20), Low-Ex (1 or 2 exacerbations, n=27) and High-Ex (≥3 exacerbations, n=33) groups. Univariate associations with the number of exacerbations during the year following fibreoptic bronchoscopy were determined using simple multinomial regression and results were expressed as reference group vs. compared group. For each parameter, the odds ratio (OR) is presented with its 95% confidence interval. A p value < 0.05 was considered significant (bold). Only parameters with significant OR between No-Ex vs. Low-Ex (p1) and/or No-Ex vs. High-Ex (p2) and/or Low-Ex vs. High-Ex (p3) are presented. An OR<1 was in favour of the reference group and an OR >1 was in favour of the compared group. All others non-significant parameters are available in the supplemental material (Table E2).