Blood inflammatory phenotypes were associated with distinct clinical expressions of asthma in adults from a large population-based cohort.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is an inflammatory heterogeneous disease. Asthma inflammatory phenotypes based on blood eosinophil and neutrophil counts have never been identified and characterized in population-based studies. METHODS: Adults with current asthma and available blood eosinophil and neutrophil counts from the French population-based CONSTANCES cohort were included. Current asthma was defined by reports of asthma attacks, symptoms or treatments in the last 12 months. Inflammatory phenotypes were based on low (L) and high (H) blood (B) eosinophil (E) (LBE/HBE: