Table 1. Baseline characteristics of patients attending hospital for severe asthma.
| Characteristic | SMART group (n=7) | Standard group (n=9) |
|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 46.9 (16.0) | 43.3 (14.8) |
| Male gender | 3 (43%) | 2 (22%) |
|
Ethnicity
| ||
| European | 6 (86%) | 7 (78%) |
| Māori | 0 (0%) | 2 (22%) |
| Pacific Islander | 1 (14%) | 0 (0%) |
| ACQ-7 score | 1.98 (1.19) | 3.10 (1.52) |
| On-treatment FEV1, litres | 2.52 (0.82) | 1.93 (1.02) |
| On-treatment FEV1, % predicted | 80.2 (22.6) | 62.7 (23.8) |
| Severe exacerbations in the prior 12 months | 2.29 (1.60) | 2.33 (1.41) |
| Zero severe exacerbations | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| One severe exacerbation | 3 (43%) | 2 (22%) |
| Two severe exacerbations | 2 (29%) | 3 (33%) |
| Three severe exacerbations | 0 (0%) | 1 (11%) |
| Four severe exacerbations | 1 (14%) | 2 (22%) |
| Five severe exacerbations | 1 (14%) | 1 (11%) |
| Number of patients with at least one prior hospital admission ever for asthma | 1 (14%) | 5 (56%) |
| Duration of asthma, years | 28.7 (20.0) | 33.0 (15.3) |
Data are mean (s.d.) or n (%). ACQ-7 is a composite score of asthma control, comprising questions on asthma symptoms, rescue bronchodilator use and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) % predicted (overall scores range from 0 to 6, with scores ⩽0.75 suggesting ‘well-controlled’ asthma and scores ⩾1.50 suggesting ‘not well-controlled’ asthma).30,31 A severe exacerbation was defined as follows: (a) the use of systemic corticosteroids for at least 3 days, or (b) a hospitalisation or Emergency Department visit because of asthma, requiring systemic corticosteroids.20 Courses of corticosteroids separated by 7 days or more were treated as separate severe exacerbations.
Abbreviation: SMART, Single combination inhaler as Maintenance And Reliever Therapy.