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. 2015 Sep 1;10:1769–1779. doi: 10.2147/COPD.S86198

Table 3.

Number and proportion of bronchodilator prescriptions over 1 year stratified by physician specialists

Family medicine Internal medicine except chest Chest Others
Number of total bronchodilator prescriptions 1,671 6,458 9,228 3,968
Pattern of bronchodilator treatments
 By medication classesa, %
  Oral xanthines 55.60 63.84 71.26 43.55
  Oral beta-2 agonists 57.27 47.09 40.78 59.90
  SABAs 5.63 7.77 11.00 12.27
  SAMAs 2.69 5.36 12.35 8.62
  LABAs 0.00 0.79 2.05 0.08
  LABA/ICS FDCs 0.66 1.87 8.33 1.01
  LAMAs 0.06 1.25 4.14 0.28
 By regimensb, %
  Oral bronchodilators alone 92.40 87.40 71.65 86.42
  Oral and inhaled bronchodilators in combination 3.77 5.62 9.89 8.29
  Inhaled bronchodilators alone 3.83 6.98 18.45 5.29
Number of inhaled bronchodilator prescriptions 127 814 2,616 539
Pattern of inhaled bronchodilator treatments
 By regimensb, %
  Short-acting bronchodilators alone 90.55 70.88 51.49 89.98
  Short-acting and long-acting bronchodilators in combination 9.45 24.32 39.37 7.24
  Long-acting bronchodilators alone 0.00 4.79 9.14 2.78

Notes:

a

Proportions add up to more than 100% because patients may receive multiple bronchodilators during the 1-year follow-up period.

b

Proportions may not be equal to 100% due to rounding.

Abbreviations: FDCs, fixed dose combinations; LABAs, long-acting beta-2 agonists; LAMAs, long-acting muscarinic antagonists; SABAs, short-acting beta agonists; SAMAs, short-acting muscarinic antagonists; ICS, inhaled corticosteroids.