Table 2.

Moderate AECOPD during the study period.

Population analysis for moderate exacerbations	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2020/2019 (%) or RR a
COPD population b	14,128	15,462	16,376	17,050	17,489
Female sex (%)	35.5	36.6	37.5	38.3	39.2
Age, years (mean ± SD)	69.4 ± 10.0	69.4 ± 9.9	69.5 ± 9.8	69.5 ± 9.7	69.6 ± 9.6
All events c (No./COPD population)	0.85	0.78	0.80	0.77	0.51	–33.8
Antibiotics	0.62	0.56	0.58	0.55	0.34	–38.9
Systemic corticosteroids	0.13	0.13	0.13	0.12	0.12	–6.1
Antibiotics and corticosteroids	0.10	0.09	0.09	0.09	0.05	–41.1
No. events/exacerbator d	1.81	1.80	1.77	1.76	1.65	–6.1
Risk of experiencing at least 1 event	0.469	0.431	0.450	0.438	0.309	0.692 a
Risk of experiencing at least 2 events	0.215	0.195	0.202	0.193	0.115	0.575 a
Specific subgroups of patients
COPD coded in hospitalisation
Population	5218	6271	7080	7594	7528
Events/population	1.18	1.06	1.05	1.02	0.71	–29.8
Risk of experiencing at least 1 event	0.599	0.534	0.539	0.529	0.398	0.728 a
Risk of experiencing at least 2 events	0.312	0.280	0.280	0.263	0.174	0.620 a
Patients receiving triple therapy 2018–2020
Population			4510	4510	4510
Events/population e			1.05	0.98	0.68	–32.9 f
Risk of experiencing at least 1 event			0.550	0.516	0.380	0.713 a
Risk of experiencing at least 2 events			0.276	0.254	0.173	0.651 a
Patients receiving dual bronchodilatation 2018–2020
Population			2665	2665	2665
Events/population e			0.51	0.50	0.33	–34.4 f
Risk of experiencing at least 1 event			0.345	0.341	0.232	0.674 a
Risk of experiencing at least 2 events			0.119	0.103	0.650	0.585 a
Population analysis for comparator event (UTI)
UTI events/COPD population	0.076	0.077	0.079	0.085	0.078	–8.0

COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; SD, standard deviation; UTI, urinary tract infection.

^aRelative risk (risk in 2020 relative to the 2016-2019 or 2018-2019 weighted average risk).

^bEstimated separately for each year and based on COPD medication claims and hospitalisation events (e-Appendix 1).

^cBased on medication claims (antibiotics, oral corticosteroids, or both – e-Appendix 3).

^dRates for patients with exacerbations.

^eRates from 2018 on analysis of stable surviving subpopulation of dual/triple maintenance therapy (e-Appendix 2).

^fCompared to the 2018–2019 average.