Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients with COVID-19 according to ICS use.
| All (n = 7341) | ICS Status | p | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Users (n = 114) | Nonusers (n = 7227) | |||
| Age, years | 47.1 (19.0) | 57.4 (19.3) | 46.9 (19.0) | <0.001 |
| Male sex | 2970 (40) | 48 (42) | 2922 (40) | 0.72 |
| Date of COVID-19 diagnosis | 0.13 | |||
| March 1 and earlier | 2349 (32) | 44 (39) | 2305 (32) | |
| March 2 and later | 4992 (68) | 70 (61) | 4922 (68) | |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Diabetes | 1299 (18) | 38 (33) | 1261 (17) | <0.001 |
| Hypertension | 1782 (24) | 46 (40) | 1736 (24) | <0.001 |
| Myocardial infarction | 71 (1) | 3 (3) | 68 (1) | 0.10 |
| Congestive heart failure | 311 (4) | 21 (18) | 290 (4) | <0.001 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 514 (7) | 18 (16) | 496 (7) | <0.001 |
| COPD | 678 (9) | 52 (46) | 626 (9) | <0.001 |
| Asthma | 123 (2) | 61 (54) | 62 (1) | <0.001 |
| Chronic liver disease | 1474 (20) | 44 (39) | 1430 (20) | <0.001 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 142 (2) | 4 (4) | 138 (2) | 0.28 |
| Malignancy | 329 (4) | 8 (7) | 321 (4) | 0.19 |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index | 1.4 (1.9) | 3.3 (2.5) | 1.3 (1.9) | <0.001 |
| Other drugs for respiratory diseases | ||||
| LABA | 121 (2) | 110 (96) | 11 (0.2) | <0.001 |
| SABA | 37 (1) | 21 (18) | 16 (0.2) | <0.001 |
| LAMA | 32 (0.4) | 18 (16) | 14 (0.2) | <0.001 |
| Methylxanthine | 110 (1) | 37 (32) | 73 (1) | <0.001 |
| LTRA | 149 (2) | 52 (46) | 97 (1) | <0.001 |
| ICS use | ||||
| Cumulative dose, median (IQR), μg | 15,000 (7500–45,000) |
NA | ||
| Total days of use, median (IQR) | 90 (30–150) | NA | ||
| OCS use | 93 (1) | 9 (8) | 84 (1) | |
| Cumulative dose, median (IQR), mg | 773 (605–1645) | 980 (555–2180) | 707 (605–1578) | 0.41 |
| Total days of use, median (IQR) | 167 (121–373) | 196 (111–332) | 153 (121–376) | 0.66 |
| Healthcare usage | ||||
| Emergency room visit | 24 (0.3) | 8 (7) | 16 (0.2) | <0.001 |
| Hospitalization | 54 (1) | 15 (13) | 39 (1) | <0.001 |
Data n (%) or mean (SD) unless indicated otherwise. p-values were calculated using Student’s t-test or the Mann–Whitney U test for continuous variables and using the chi-squared or Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables. COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; COVID-19: coronavirus disease 2019; ICS: inhaled corticosteroids; LABA: long-acting β2 agonist; LAMA: long-acting muscarinic antagonist; LTRA: leukotriene receptor antagonist; NA: not applicable; OCS: oral corticosteroid; SABA: short-acting β2 agonist.