Table 3.

Summary of demographic and clinically important matching criteria used by Price et al. [77] and Barnes et al. [78] to ensure baseline similarity of patients in the different treatment arms

Matching criterion	Categories
Oral corticosteroid prescriptions during baseline year	0, 1, 2, 3, ≥4
Sex	Male/female
Mean SABA dose during the baseline year, μg/d	0
	1–100
	101–200
	201–300
	301–400
	≥400
Age	≥13 ± 5 y or
	6–12 ± 3 y or
	5 ± 1 y
For step-up population only: mean ICS dose prescribed during the baseline year, μg/d	0–99
	100–199
	200–299
	300–399
	400–599
	600–799
	≥800
For EF HFA-BDP vs CFC-BDP analysis only: number of asthma consultations without resulting in a prescription for oral corticosteroids	0, 1, 2, 3

CFC-BDP chlorofluorocarbon beclomethasone dipropionate, EF HFA-BDP extra-fine hydrofluoroalkane beclomethasone dipropionate, ICS inhaled corticosteroid, SABA short-acting β₂-agonist