Table 1.
Patients’ Baseline Characteristics by Steroid Use
| Characteristics | Non-Steroid Users | Steroid Users | Total | Standardized Mean Difference Before Multiple Imputation and Propensity Score Matching | Standardized Mean Difference After Multiple Imputation and Propensity Score Matching |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients, no. (%) | 579 (47) | 658 (537) | 1237 | – | – |
| Median age, no. (IQR, 25–75) | 80.0 (74, 85) | 80.0 (74, 85) | 80.0 (74, 85) | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| Male, no. (%) | 521 (90) | 593 (90) | 1114 (90) | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| Patients at each hospital, no. (%) | |||||
| Kameda Medical Center | 270 (50) | 264 (49) | 534 (43%) | – | – |
| Hyogo Prefectural Amagasaki General Medical Center | 16 (25) | 48 (75) | 64 (5) | 0.34 | 0.12 |
| Awa Regional Medical Center | 157 (36) | 283 (64) | 440 (36) | 0.20 | 0.10 |
| Saiseikai Yokohamashi Tobu Hospital | 63 (57) | 48 (43) | 111 (9) | 0.40 | 0.02 |
| Ichinomiyanishi Hospital | 73 (83) | 15 (17) | 88 (7) | 0.13 | 0.06 |
| Types of inhaler users | |||||
| Inhaled corticosteroid users, no (%) | 123 (21) | 170 (26) | 293 (24) | 0.11 | – |
| Long-acting beta-agonist users, no. (%) | 184 (32) | 231 (35) | 415 (34) | 0.07 | – |
| Long-acting muscarinic antagonist users, no. (%) | 236 (41) | 278 (42) | 514 (42) | 0.03 | – |
| Home oxygen therapy users, no. (%) | 118 (20) | 170 (26) | 288 (23) | 0.13 | 0.05 |
| Full assisting in daily activities, no. (%) | 85 (15) | 97 (15) | 182 (15) | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| Wheezing lung sound, no. (%) | 95 (16) | 290 (44) | 385 (31) | 0.63 | – |
| Altered mental status, no. (%) | 88 (15) | 108 (16) | 196 (15) | 0.03 | 0.05 |
| Missing data, no. (%) | 4 (<0.01) | ||||
| Mean respiratory rate, no. (SD) | 24 (62) | 25.0 (6.4) | 25 (6.3) | 0.19 | 0.10 |
| Missing data, no. (%) | 109 (9) | ||||
| Mean heart rate, no. (SD) | 99.9 (19) | 103 (20) | 101 (19) | 0.14 | 0.11 |
| Missing data, no. (%) | 14 (0.01) | ||||
| Mean white blood cell counts, mg/dL (SD) | 12*103 (5.5 * 103) | 12*103 (8.4 * 103) | 12*103 (7.2 * 103) | 0.02 | – |
| Missing data, no. (%) | 7 (<0.01) | ||||
| Percentage of blood eosinophil count, % (SD) | 0.96 (1.7) | 0.75 (1.2) | 0.86 (1.5) | 0.14 | – |
| Missing data, no. (%) | 408 (33) | ||||
| Mean blood urea nitrogen, mg/dL (SD) | 21.2 (12.6) | 21.6 (12.5) | 0.03 | 0.03 | |
| Missing data, no. (%) | 11 (<0.01) |
Abbreviations: IQR, interquartile range; no., number; SD, standard deviation.