Table 1. Characteristics of Children With Corticosteroid Bursts.
| Characteristic | Children, No. (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Corticosteroid burst (n = 1 064 587) | All corticosteroid burst(s) (n = 1 897 858) | |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 9.7 (5.8) | 9.5 (5.7) |
| Female | 520 319 (48.9) | 897 193 (47.3) |
| Corticosteroid use | ||
| Daily dose, median (IQR), mg/d | 6.00 (1.50-15.00) | 8.17 (1.25-15.00) |
| Duration, median (IQR), d | 3.00 (3.00-3.00) | 3.00 (3.00-3.00) |
| Incidence rate per 1000 person-years (95% CI) | ||
| GI bleeding | 2.48 (2.44-2.52) | 2.54 (2.51-2.57) |
| Sepsis | 0.37 (0.35-0.39) | 0.41 (3.96-4.22) |
| Pneumonia | 25.74 (25.59-25.88) | 27.86 (27.75-27.98) |
| Glaucoma | 0.62 (0.60-0.64) | 0.65 (0.64-0.65) |
| Diagnosis of the top 10 acute conditions (ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM codes)a | ||
| Urticaria (708.xx and L50.xxxx) | 126 290 (11.9) | 20 8957 (11.0) |
| Contact dermatitis and other eczema (692.xx, L23.xxxx, L24.xxxx, and L25.xxxx) | 109 113 (10.3) | 172 276 (9.1) |
| Acute | ||
| Upper respiratory tract infections (465.xx and J06.xxxx) | 108 082 (10.2) | 198 685 (10.5) |
| Bronchitis and bronchiolitis (466.xx, J20.xxxx, and J21.xxxx) | 96 514 (9.1) | 191 826 (10.1) |
| Sinusitis (461.xx and J01.xxxx) | 59 329 (5.6) | 113 428 (6.0) |
| Asthma (493.xx and J45.xxxx) | 55 064 (5.2) | 13 4658 (7.1) |
| Allergic rhinitis (477.xx and J30.xxxx) | 35 879 (3.4) | 60 884 (3.2) |
| Acute | ||
| Tonsillitis (463.xx and J03.xxxx) | 35 683 (3.4) | 6640 (3.3) |
| Laryngitis and tracheitis (464.xx, J04.xxxx, and J05.xxxx) | 32 541 (3.1) | 56 086 (3.0) |
| Nasopharyngitis (460.xx and J00.xxxx) | 30 847 (2.9) | 60 384 (3.2) |
| Physician specialty | ||
| Pediatrics | 283 996 (26.7) | 558 859 (29.5) |
| Dermatology | 276 286 (26.0) | 434 936 (22.9) |
| Otolaryngology | 189 174 (17.8) | 336 791 (17.8) |
| Family practice | 159 178 (15.0) | 277 690 (14.6) |
| Internal medicine | 78 516 (7.4) | 135 956 (7.2) |
Abbreviations: GI, gastrointestinal; ICD-9-CM, International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification; ICD-10-CM, International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification; IQR, interquartile range.
a
ICD-9-CM codes were used to define the conditions in 2013 to 2015, and ICD-10-CM codes were used to define the conditions in 2016 and 2017 (eTable 2 in the Supplement).