Bronchial epithelial morphological features of cells obtained from bronchial biopsies in children
| Non-asthmatic children | Severe asthmatic children | |
| Median epithelial integrity % | 80 (IQR: 0–100) | 45 (IQR: 15–100) [31] |
| 62 (IQR: 30–85) [48] | ||
| Epithelial thickness | No data | No data |
| Tight junction | No data | No data |
| Reticular basement membrane thickness | 2.7 (2.0–3.8) μm [31] | 4.1 (2.5–5.3) μm [31] |
| 4.2 (3.3–4.9) μm [34] | 6 (4.5–9.5) μm [34] | |
| 4.68±1.24 μm [49] | 7.2 (IQR: 4.9–8.2) μm [40] | |
| 2.6 (IQR: 2.4–3.5) μm [50] | 5.21±1.10 μm [49] | |
| 4.4 (3.2–6.3) μm [51] | 6.4 (IQR: 5.7–7.8) μm [50] | |
| >6 years old: 6.8 (IQR: 6–8.4) μm [48], or 8.2 (5.4–11.1) μm [51] | ||
| <6 years old: 4.1 (2.5–5.3) μm | ||
| No significant difference between severe asthmatic children with or without a persistent obstructive pattern (median (IQR) 6.7 (5.7–9.6) μm and 7.6 (6.1–8.7) μm, respectively) [18] |
Data are presented as median (range) or mean±sd, unless otherwise stated. IQR: interquartile range.