Table 3.
Description of Inhalation Therapies Used in Different GOLD-Groups (N=4001)
| Therapies, Only Used, n (%) | Group A (n=321) |
Group B (n=2219) |
Group C (n=60) |
Group D (n=1401) |
P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mono inhaled therapy | |||||
| SABA | 5 (1.6) | 7 (0.3) | 0 (0) | 4 (0.3) | N/A |
| LABA | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.1) | N/A |
| SAMA | 1 (0.3) | 10 (0.4) | 0 (0) | 4 (0.3) | N/A |
| LAMA | 178 (55.5) | 848 (38.2) | 32 (53.3) | 531 (37.9) | <0.001* |
| ICS | 0 (0) | 3 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 4 (0.3) | N/A |
| Dual inhaled therapy | |||||
| LABA/ICS | 56 (17.4) | 305 (13.7) | 10 (16.7) | 151 (10.8) | 0.004* |
| LAMA+ICS | 1 (0.3) | 4 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.1) | N/A |
| LABA+LAMA | 0 (0) | 4 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.1) | N/A |
| Triple inhaled therapy | |||||
| LAMA+LABA/ICS | 60 (18.7) | 886 (39.9) | 17 (28.3) | 621 (44.3) | <0.001* |
| Other inhaled therapies | |||||
| SABA+LABA/ICS | 6 (1.9) | 18 (0.8) | 1 (1.7) | 7 (0.5) | N/A |
| SABA or SAMA +LAMA+LABA/ICS | 2 (0.6) | 60 (2.7) | 0 (0) | 46 (3.3) | N/A |
| SABA+LAMA | 2 (0.6) | 27 (1.2) | 0 (0) | 15 (1.1) | N/A |
| SAMA+LAMA | 6 (1.9) | 15 (0.7) | 0 (0) | 3 (0.2) | N/A |
| SAMA+LAMA/LABA | 0 (0) | 2 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.1) | N/A |
| SAMA+LABA/ICS | 0 (0) | 8 (0.4) | 0 (0) | 2 (0.1) | N/A |
| SABA+ICS | 0 (0) | 1 (0.04) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | N/A |
| LABA/ICS+ICS | 0 (0) | 1 (0.04) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | N/A |
| SABA+SAMA+LAMA+LABA/ICS | 0 (0) | 1 (0.04) | 0 (0) | 2 (0.1) | N/A |
| SAMA+LAMA+LABA/ICS+ICS | 0 (0) | 1 (0.04) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | N/A |
Notes: LABA/ICS means LABA and ICS are in an inhaler. LAMA/LABA also means they are in an inhaler. “+” means “and”, it was defined to show the all inhalations with different inhalers used simultaneously by patients. To test for differences of proportion in some variables according to the type of bronchodilators taken, a Chi-square test was used, *P<0.05. N/A means not applicable.
Abbreviations: SABA, short-acting β2-agonist; SAMA, short-acting muscarinic agonist; LAMA, long-acting muscarinic antagonist; LABA, long-acting β2-agonist; ICS, inhaled corticosteroids.