Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population
| Women | Men | Total population | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | |
| Total N | 1303 (65.3) | 692 (34.7) | 1995 (100.0) |
| Age | |||
| <30 years | 141 (10.8) | 71 (10.3) | 212 (10.6) |
| 30–59 years | 848 (65.1) | 420 (61.7) | 1268 (63.6) |
| ≥60 years | 314 (24.1) | 201 (29.1) | 515 (25.8) |
| Asthma controller medication usea | |||
| Not at all | 80 (6.2) | 48 (7.1) | 128 (6.5) |
| Occasionally | 200 (15.6) | 103 (15.2) | 303 (15.4) |
| Daily | 1006 (78.2) | 528 (77.8) | 1534 (78.1) |
| Missing | 17 | 13 | 30 |
| Inhaled bronchodilatator use | |||
| Not at all | 217 (17.2) | 147 (22.0) | 364 (18.9) |
| Occasionally | 834 (66.0) | 365 (54.7) | 1199 (62.1) |
| Daily | 213 (16.9) | 155 (23.2) | 368 (19.1) |
| Missing | 39 | 25 | 64 |
| Antibiotics for asthma exacerbations | |||
| 0 prescription | 970 (76.1) | 590 (87.0) | 1560 (79.9) |
| 1 prescription | 119 (9.3) | 41 (6.1) | 160 (8.2) |
| 2 prescriptions | 80 (6.3) | 23 (3.4) | 103 (5.3) |
| ≥3 prescriptions | 106 (8.1) | 24 (3.5) | 130 (6.7) |
| Missing | 28 | 14 | 42 |
| Oral corticosteroid use | |||
| 0 prescriptions | 893 (70.5) | 558 (83.2) | 1451 (74.9) |
| 1–2 prescriptions | 294 (23.2) | 86 (12.8) | 380 (19.6) |
| ≥3 prescriptions | 49 (3.9) | 20 (3.0) | 69 (3.6) |
| Daily use | 30 (2.4) | 7 (1.0) | 37 (1.9) |
| Missing | 37 | 21 | 58 |
| St. George’s score 4 weeksb | |||
| 0 to ≤7 | 300 (23.3) | 180 (26.6) | 480 (24.4) |
| >7 to ≤15 | 327 (25.4) | 142 (21.0) | 469 (23.9) |
| >15 to ≤27 | 331 (25.7) | 166 (24.5) | 497 (25.3) |
| >27 | 330 (25.6) | 189 (27.9) | 519 (26.4) |
| Missing | 15 | 15 | 30 |
| Health care facility use scorec | |||
| 0 points | 936 (73.0) | 580 (84.2) | 1516 (76.9) |
| 1 point | 107 (8.4) | 34 (4.9) | 141 (7.2) |
| 2–3 points | 183 (14.3) | 56 (8.1) | 239 (12.1) |
| ≥4 points | 56 (4.4) | 19 (2.8) | 75 (3.8) |
| Missing | 21 | 3 | 24 |
| COPD diagnosis | |||
| Yes | 126 (10.0) | 152 (23.2) | 278 (14.5) |
| No | 1135 (90.0) | 504 (76.8) | 1639 (85.5) |
| Missing | 42 | 36 | 78 |
| Allergic Rhinitis and/or Allergic Eczema | |||
| Yes | 891 (68.9) | 402 (59.4) | 1293 (65.9) |
| No | 394 (30.7) | 275 (40.6) | 669 (34.1) |
| Missing | 18 | 15 | 33 |
| BMI | |||
| ≤ 25 | 504 (39.6) | 216 (31.6) | 720 (36.8) |
| >25 to ≤30 | 420 (33.0) | 286 (41.8) | 706 (36.1) |
| >30 | 350 (26.9) | 170 (26.3) | 532 (26.7) |
| Missing | 29 | 8 | 37 |
aAsthma controller medication use includes both inhaled corticosteroids and combination medication of inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting beta-agonist
bSt. George’s score range: 0–100
cHCU score formed as a combination of sick leave due to asthma, emergency room visits for asthma, ward treatment periods for asthma, and acute primary health care visits due to asthma