Table 1.

General demographic and clinical characteristics of patients during the two study periods.

	Hospitalized patients followed up at other centers		Hospitalized patients followed up in our center
	1999 and 2004	2017 and 2018	1999 and 2004	2017 and 2018
Total number of hospitalized patients	26	18	9	1a
Overall asthma patients	–	–	611	869
Age (years)	42.0 ± 14.6	34.8 ± 17.0	42.2 ± 13.2	41
Female	14	13	7	1
Male	12	5	2	0
Treatments
SABA	26	18	9	0
Bud/form only PRN	–	–	–	193 (22%)
Regular Middle dose plus PRN			–	652 (75%)
Regular High dose+tiotropium				22
Omalizumab				2
Positive smoking history	5	4	2	0
Spirometry in the past year	1	3	6	1
Intubation	2	6	1	1
ICU admissions	9	12	2	1
Prior hospitalization	21	5	8	1
Deaths	0	1	0	0
Hospitalization rates	Unknown	Unknown	1.47%b	0.12%b

Note: Data are presented as the number of patients unless stated otherwise. Hospitalization rates of the pooled patient population from other centers were unknown because the asthma population number (denominator) was not known.

Only one patient who followed up at our SABA-free center was hospitalized during 2017 − 2018.

Age is expressed in years as mean ± standard deviation.

Smoking history referred to current smokers or ex-smokers (all patients smoked less than 10 pack-years), while intubation refers to endotracheal intubation due to asthma.

^aFisher’s exact test, p = 0.031; odds ratio = 0.11 (95% confidence interval = 0.013–0.98).

ICU, intensive care unit; SABA, short-acting β₂-agonist.

^bOverall, 611 patients with asthma were treated at our center in 1999 and 2004 and 869 in 2017 and 2018, the hospitalization rate was reduced from 1.47% in 1999 and 2004 to 0.12% in 2017 and 2018, marking a 92% reduction. PRN: as needed. Bud/form: budesonide 160 µg/formoterol 4.5 µg in a single inhaler. The middle dose of Budesonide/formoterol was 2 inhalations bid. High doses incorporated another inhaled corticosteroid.