Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of the Study Subjects
| ICS Users (n=22,161) | Non-ICS Users (n=22,161) | P value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | % | n | % | ||
| Age | |||||
| Mean (SD) | 65.4 (11.0) | 65.4 (11.0) | 0.9281 | ||
| 40–49 | 1968 | 8.88 | 2021 | 9.12 | 0.4082 |
| 50–59 | 4590 | 20.71 | 4742 | 21.40 | |
| 60–69 | 7106 | 32.07 | 7059 | 31.85 | |
| 70–79 | 6329 | 28.56 | 6208 | 28.01 | |
| ≥ 80 | 2168 | 9.78 | 2131 | 9.62 | |
| Sex | |||||
| Male | 16,044 | 72.40 | 15,935 | 71.91 | 0.2435 |
| Female | 6117 | 27.60 | 6226 | 28.09 | |
| Comorbidity | |||||
| Asthma | 10,926 | 49.30 | 11,318 | 51.07 | 0.0060 |
| Interstitial lung disease | 325 | 1.47 | 344 | 1.55 | 0.3115 |
| Diabetes | 5623 | 25.37 | 5665 | 25.56 | 0.5779 |
| Hypertension | 10,105 | 45.60 | 10,242 | 46.22 | 0.0859 |
| Heart failure | 3746 | 16.90 | 3792 | 17.11 | 0.5436 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 839 | 3.79 | 881 | 3.98 | 0.3247 |
| Chronic liver disease | 6609 | 29.82 | 6716 | 30.31 | 0.1557 |
| CCI | |||||
| Mean (SD) | 2.78 (1.94) | 2.83 (1.98) | 0.0375 | ||
| < 2 | 12,195 | 55.03 | 0.0050 | 53.96 | 0.0050 |
| ≥ 2 | 9966 | 44.97 | 10,203 | 46.04 | |
| Bronchodilator | |||||
| SABA | 1261 | 5.69 | 6166 | 27.82 | <0.0001 |
| LAMA | 119 | 0.54 | 8761 | 39.53 | |
| LABA | 15,054 | 67.93 | 1037 | 4.68 | |
| LAMA + LABA | 5727 | 25.84 | 6197 | 27.96 | |
| Severe exacerbation of COPD | |||||
| Yes | 990 | 4.47 | 1045 | 4.72 | 0.1880 |
| No | 21,171 | 95.53 | 16,729 | 95.28 | |
| OCS prescription | |||||
| Yes | 17,186 | 77.55 | 17,322 | 78.16 | 0.1336 |
| No | 4975 | 22.45 | 4839 | 21.84 | |
| OCS prescription day | |||||
| Mean (SD) | 8.44 (13.56) | 7.79 (13.93) | <0.0001 | ||
| Interval from COPD diagnosis to index date | |||||
| Mean (SD) | 315.3 (711.7) | 344.6 (801.5) | <0.0001 | ||
Abbreviations: ICS, inhaled corticosteroid; LAMA, long-acting muscarinic antagonist; LABA, long-acting β2 agonist.