Table 2.
HRs for any adverse outcomes in UK patients with asthma receiving intermittent OCS stratified by age, GINA treatment step, ICS and SABA prescriptions versus all non-OCS patients
| HR (95% CI) by category | One-off OCS n=198 422 (41.7%) | Less frequent OCS* n=127 419 (26.8%) | Frequent OCS† n=150 326 (31.6%) |
| Age | |||
| 4–<12 years | 1.11 (1.08, 1.14) | 1.21 (1.17, 1.24) | 1.32 (1.29, 1.36) |
| 12–<18 years | 1.17 (1.14, 1.20) | 1.33 (1.29, 1.37) | 1.45 (1.40, 1.50) |
| 18–<65 years | 1.24 (1.23, 1.26) | 1.39 (1.38, 1.41) | 1.48 (1.47, 1.50) |
| ≥65 years | 1.20 (1.18, 1.23) | 1.35 (1.33, 1.38) | 1.35 (1.33, 1.37) |
| GINA | |||
| Step 0 | 1.25 (1.22, 1.28) | 1.43 (1.40, 1.47) | 1.46 (1.43, 1.49) |
| Step 1 | 1.21 (1.19, 1.23) | 1.35 (1.33, 1.38) | 1.40 (1.38, 1.43) |
| Step 2 | 1.16 (1.15, 1.18) | 1.32 (1.30, 1.34) | 1.38 (1.36, 1.41) |
| Step 3 | 1.19 (1.17, 1.21) | 1.38 (1.35, 1.41) | 1.46 (1.43, 1.49) |
| Step 4 | 1.28 (1.24, 1.32) | 1.47 (1.43, 1.52) | 1.58 (1.54, 1.63) |
| Step 5 | 1.33 (1.24, 1.43) | 1.59 (1.49, 1.70) | 1.89 (1.80, 1.99) |
| ICS prescriptions | |||
| 0 | 1.22 (1.20, 1.23) | 1.38 (1.36, 1.40) | 1.42 (1.40, 1.44) |
| 1–3 | 1.18 (1.17, 1.20) | 1.34 (1.32, 1.36) | 1.45 (1.43, 1.47) |
| 4–6 | 1.21 (1.17, 1.24) | 1.41 (1.37, 1.46) | 1.49 (1.45, 1.53) |
| 7–9 | 1.20 (1.17, 1.20) | 1.38 (1.35, 1.41) | 1.44 (1.41, 1.47) |
| 10–12 | 1.25 (1.18, 1.32) | 1.44 (1.36, 1.52) | 1.56 (1.49, 1.64) |
| ≥13 | 1.26 (1.18, 1.36) | 1.49 (1.38, 1.60) | 1.65 (1.56, 1.76) |
| SABA prescriptions | |||
| 0 | 1.25 (1.23, 1.27) | 1.42 (1.40, 1.45) | 1.46 (1.44, 1.48) |
| 1–2 | 1.21 (1.19, 1.23) | 1.37 (1.34, 1.39) | 1.43 (1.40, 1.45) |
| 3–11 | 1.18 (1.17, 1.20) | 1.34 (1.32, 1.36) | 1.44 (1.42, 1.46) |
| ≥12 | 1.08 (1.03,1.13) | 1.41 (1.35, 1.48) | 1.45 (1.40, 1.51) |
HR were calculated using Cox regression analysis, adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, smoking and time-varying OCS prescriptions; HR=1 for non-OCS patients.
*Patients who received all OCS prescriptions with a gap of ≥90 days.
†Patients who received at least some OCS prescriptions with a gap of <90 days, allowing for other prescription gaps to be ≥90 days.
GINA, The Global Initiative for Asthma; ICS, inhaled corticosteroid; OCS, oral corticosteroid; SABA, short-acting β2 agonist.