Table 6.
Inhaled treatment for patients without in-study asthma codes during the 3-year study period, by categories of AFO
| Persistent AFO (n = 4708) | Variable AFO (n = 3176) | Absent AFO (n = 1009) | No spirometry (n = 917) | Incomplete spirometry (n = 634) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short-acting bronchodilators n (%), median [IQR]a |
3654 (77.6) 7 [4, 10] |
2481 (78.1) 7 [3, 10] |
668 (66.2) 5 [2, 8] |
226 (24.6) 4 [1, 7] |
463 (73.6) 7 [4, 10] |
| Long-acting bronchodilators n (%), median [IQR]a |
3366 (71.5) 10 [7, 10] |
2178 (68.6) 9 [6, 10] |
501 (49.7) 8 [5, 10] |
163 (17.8) 4 [1, 7] |
420 (66.2) 9 [6, 10] |
| Inhaled corticosteroids n (%), median [IQR]a |
2955 (62.8) 10 [7, 12] |
1972 (62.1) 10 [6, 12] |
494 (49.0) 8 [4, 11] |
164 (17.9) 4 [2, 9] |
350 (55.2) 10 [6, 12] |
| ICS/LABAb n (%), median [IQR]a |
2643 (56.1) 8 [5, 10] |
1684 (53.0) 8 [5, 10] |
365 (36.2) 7 [4, 10] |
124 (13.5) 3.5 [1.25, 7] |
313 (49.4) 8 [5, 10] |
| None of the above treatments, n (%) | 836 (17.8) | 528 (16.6) | 281 (27.9) | 658 (71.8) | 142 (22.4) |
Short-acting bronchodilators comprise short-acting beta2 agonists (SABA) and short-acting antimuscarinic bronchodilators (SAMA). Long-acting bronchodilators comprise long-acting beta2 agonists (LABA) and long-acting antimuscarinic bronchodilators (LAMA)
AFO airflow obstruction, ICS inhaled corticosteroids, IQR interquartile range
aNumber of patients receiving each class of medication and the number of 3-month periods (maximum of 12) in which ≥1 prescription was received
bIncludes patients receiving ICS/LABA in fixed combination inhalers or separately