Table 2.
Factors associated with maintenance and episodic oral corticosteroid use
| Parameter | Maintenance use | Episodic use | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OR | 95%CI | P | RR | 95%CI | P | |
| Female sex | 1.11 | 1.00–1.23 | 0.05* | 1.08 | 1.05–1.11 | < 0.01* |
| SES quintile | 1.04 | 1.01–1.07 | 0.02* | 0.99 | 0.99–1.00 | 0.09 |
| Calendar year | 0.97 | 0.96–0.98 | < 0.01* | 1.01 | 1.01–1.01 | < 0.01* |
| Age | 1.31 | 1.25–1.38 | < 0.01* | 1.02 | 1.01–1.03 | < 0.01* |
| ICS Medication Possession Ratio# | 1.38 | 1.19–1.60 | < 0.01* | 1.11 | 1.07–1.15 | < 0.01* |
| Number of dispensed SABA canisters# | 1.03 | 1.02–1.03 | < 0.01* | 1.01 | 1.00–1.01 | < 0.01* |
| Asthma-related hospital admission# | 2.90 | 2.48–3.40 | < 0.01* | 1.15 | 1.12–1.20 | < 0.01* |
| Asthma-related specialist visit# | 2.86 | 2.47–3.29 | < 0.01* | 1.05 | 0.99–1.12 | 0.09 |
| Asthma-related internist visit# | 1.58 | 1.31—1.92 | < 0.01* | 1.06 | 0.97–1.15 | 0.17 |
| Asthma-related general practitioner visit# | 1.26 | 1.14–1.40 | < 0.01* | 1.08 | 1.06–1.10 | < 0.01* |
| Comorbidity | ||||||
| Group 1 (Myocardial infarction) | 0.96 | 0.51–1.81 | 0.91 | 1.07 | 0.87–1.32 | 0.53 |
| Group 2 (Congestive heart failure) | 1.34 | 0.92–1.97 | 0.13 | 0.96 | 0.86–1.08 | 0.49 |
| Group 3 (Peripheral vascular disease) | 1.57 | 0.98–2.51 | 0.06 | 0.91 | 0.80–1.03 | 0.13 |
| Group 4 (Cerebrovascular disease) | 1.04 | 0.63–1.70 | 0.88 | 1.01 | 0.88–1.17 | 0.85 |
| Group 5 (Dementia) | 0.91 | 0.40–2.09 | 0.83 | 1.08 | 0.85–1.38 | 0.53 |
| Group 6 (Chronic pulmonary disease) | 1.58 | 1.43–1.74 | < 0.01* | 1.17 | 1.13–1.20 | < 0.01* |
| Group 7 (Connective tissue disease) | 1.67 | 1.27–2.21 | < 0.01* | 0.91 | 0.83–0.98 | 0.01* |
| Group 8 (Peptic ulcer disease) | 0.84 | 0.54–1.31 | 0.44 | 1.02 | 0.91–1.14 | 0.74 |
| Group 9 (Mild liver disease) | 0.80 | 0.57–1.11 | 0.18 | 1.00 | 0.92–1.08 | 0.98 |
| Group 10 (Diabetes without complication) | 1.22 | 1.03–1.44 | 0.02* | 1.03 | 0.97–1.08 | 0.36 |
| Group 11 (Diabetes with complication) | 0.99 | 0.74–1.32 | 0.94 | 1.04 | 0.94–1.14 | 0.43 |
| Group 12 (Paraplegia and Hemiplegia) | 1.06 | 0.73–1.54 | 0.77 | 1.05 | 0.88–1.26 | 0.58 |
| Group 13 (Renal disease) | 1.59 | 1.29–1.96 | < 0.01* | 0.97 | 0.91–1.05 | 0.48 |
| Group 14 (Cancer) | 1.27 | 1.08–1.49 | < 0.01* | 1.00 | 0.95–1.05 | 0.91 |
| Group 15 (Moderate or Severe liver Disease) | 0.92 | 0.68–1.26 | 0.61 | 1.01 | 0.95–1.07 | 0.74 |
| Group 16 (Metastatic Carcinoma) | 1.56 | 1.26–1.92 | < 0.01* | 0.93 | 0.86–1.01 | 0.08 |
| Group 17 (AIDS/HIV) | 0.99 | 0.89–1.09 | 0.84 | 0.99 | 0.96–1.01 | 0.54 |
ICS Inhaled corticosteroids, SABA Short-acting beta-agonist, SES Socio-economic status, OR odds ratio, RR relative rate
*Significant at 0.05 level
#These variables were measured during the preceding period to avoid reverse causality bias in estimates of associations