Adjusting the regression models for gender and centre, sensitivity analyses suggested that nine genes (CST1, CLCA1, FETUB, CAPN14, CPA4, C5orf17, CCL26, RAET1L and SLC24A3), of which seven were common with the uncorrected analyses, were related to the blood eosinophil count in COPD and 941 genes, all of which were contained in the unadjusted analysis, in asthma. Here, CPA4 is linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.