Table 1. Baseline characteristics of the study population.
| All patients (n = 25110) | LTRA non-users (n = 20925) | LTRA users (n = 4185) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex, n (%)# | ||||
| Female | 14934 (59%) | 12445 (59%) | 2489 (59%) | |
| Male | 10176 (41%) | 8480 (41%) | 1696 (41%) | |
| Age (year), mean ± SD# | 47.3 ± 16.5 | 47.3 ± 16.5 | 47.2 ± 16.7 | 0.6696 |
| Age (year), n (%)# | 0.5387 | |||
| Age ≤40 | 9559 (38%) | 7936 (38%) | 1623 (39%) | |
| 40 <Age ≤65 | 11061 (44%) | 9247 (44%) | 1814 (43%) | |
| Age >65 | 4490 (18%) | 3742 (18%) | 748 (18%) | |
| Interval between asthma diagnosis to index date (year), median (IQR)# | 0.8 (0–3.4) | 0.8 (0–3.4) | 0.8 (0–3.4) | |
| Residency, n (%) | <0.0001 | |||
| Northern Taiwan | 13836 (55%) | 11191 (53%) | 2645 (63%) | |
| Other areas | 11274 (45%) | 9734 (47%) | 1540 (37%) | |
| Monthly income (NT$), median (IQR) | 25200 (21900–42000) | 25200 (21900–42000) | 27600 (21900–43900) | <0.0001 |
| Monthly income (NT$), n (%) | <0.0001 | |||
| ≤24000 | 12290 (49%) | 10412 (50%) | 1878 (45%) | |
| >24000 | 12820 (51%) | 10513 (50%) | 2307 (55%) | |
| Marriage status, n (%) | 0.2194 | |||
| Married | 16049 (64%) | 13409 (64%) | 2640 (63%) | |
| Not married | 9061 (36%) | 7516 (36%) | 1545 (37%) | |
| Education level, n (%) | <0.0001 | |||
| Elementary school or lower | 9616 (38%) | 8131 (39%) | 1485 (35%) | |
| High school | 11136 (44%) | 9310 (44%) | 1826 (44%) | |
| College or higher | 4358 (17%) | 3484 (17%) | 874 (21%) | |
| With comorbidity, n (%)# | ||||
| No (mCCI score = 0) | 21630 (86%) | 18025 (86%) | 3605 (86%) | |
| Yes (mCCI score ≥1) | 3480 (14%) | 2900 (14%) | 580 (14%) | |
| Comorbidity, n (%) | ||||
| Heart disease | 979 (4%) | 814 (4%) | 165 (4%) | 0.8726 |
| Myocardial infarction | 145 (1%) | 123 (1%) | 22 (1%) | 0.6282 |
| Congestive heart failure | 878 (3%) | 726 (3%) | 152 (4%) | 0.6014 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 185 (1%) | 144 (1%) | 41 (1%) | 0.0441 |
| Major neurological disorder | 1582 (6%) | 1342 (6%) | 240 (6%) | 0.0991 |
| Cerebral vascular disease | 1520 (6%) | 1295 (6%) | 225 (5%) | 0.0442 |
| Dementia | 160 (1%) | 130 (1%) | 30 (1%) | 0.4781 |
| Hemiplegia | 118 (0%) | 100 (0%) | 18 (0%) | 0.6799 |
| Connective tissue disease | 393 (2%) | 319 (2%) | 74 (2%) | 0.2462 |
| Peptic ulcer disease | 4845 (19%) | 4015 (19%) | 830 (20%) | 0.3343 |
| Liver disease | 2449 (10%) | 2006 (10%) | 443 (11%) | 0.0468 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 2018 (8%) | 1698 (8%) | 320 (8%) | 0.3090 |
| Renal disease | 479 (2%) | 401 (2%) | 78 (2%) | 0.8205 |
Categorical variables and continuous variables were compared using χ2 test and Student’s t-test, respectively.
Abbreviation: LTRA = cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist; SD = standard deviation; IQR = interquartile range; NT = New Taiwan Dollar; mCCI = modified Charlson Comorbidity Index.
#matched factors.