Skip to main content

Table 1 Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics for 1:1 matched patients

From: Effectiveness of initiating extrafine-particle versus fine-particle inhaled corticosteroids as asthma therapy in the Netherlands

Baseline Characteristic Extrafine-particle ICSa (n = 1399) Fine-particle ICSb (n = 1399) p-value
Sex, male, n (%)c 471 (34) 471 (34) N/A
Age, median (IQR)c 43 (32–53) 43 (32–52) 0.091
Year of initiation date, median (IQR)c 2008 (2006–2009) 2008 (2006–2009) N/A
ICS dose prescribed on initiation date, n (%)    
  <200μg/d, n (%) 866 (62) 218 (16) <0.001
  201–400μg/d, n (%) 477 (34) 301 (22)
  401–800μg/d, n (%) 56 (4) 677 (48)
  801μg/d, n (%) 0 (0) 203 (15)
ICS dose on initiation date, median (IQR) 160 (160–320) 500 (250–500) <0.001
Average ICS daily dose (μg/d, categorized EF-HFA-BDP/ciclesonide equivalent dosed)    
  0–200μg/d, n (%) 866 (62) 218 (16) <0.001
  201–400μg/d, n (%) 477 (34) 301 (22)
  401–800μg/d, n (%) 56 (4) 677 (48)
  801μg/d+, n (%) 0 (0) 203 (15)
Recorded comorbidity, n (%)    
  Rhinitis diagnosis, n (%) 623 (45) 536 (38) <0.001
  GERD diagnosis, n (%) 513 (37) 437 (31) 0.001
  Paracetamol script, n (%) 28 (2) 47 (3) 0.020
  NSAID script, n (%) 219 (16) 215 (15) 0.834
  Topical corticosteroid treatment, n (%) 433 (31) 374 (27) 0.014
  Oral candidiasis diagnosis, n (%) 14 (1) 11 (1) 0.533
  Rhinitis diagnosis, n (%) Ciclesonide 18 (1) N/A N/A
EF-HFA-BDP 21 (1)
  GERD diagnosis, n (%) Ciclesonide 0 (0) N/A N/A
EF-HFA-BDP 1 (1)
  Topical corticosteroid treatment, n (%) Ciclesonide 207 (15) N/A N/A
EF-HFA-BDP 226 (16)
Respiratory Medications    
Acute oral corticosteroid prescriptions, <1, n (%) 101 (7) 120 (9) 0.001
Acute oral corticosteroid prescriptions, <1, n (%) Ciclesonide 47 (3) N/A N/A
EF-HFA-BDP 54 (4)
SABA daily dose, n (%)c    
  0μg/d, n (%) 953 (68) 953 (68) N/A
  200μg/d, n (%) 57 (4) 57 (4)
  201μg/d, n (%) 40 (3) 40 (3)
SABA prescriptions, n (%)    
  0, n (%)c 953 (68) 953 (68) 0.251
  1, n (%) 281 (20) 267 (19)
  2+, n (%) 165 (12) 179 (13)
Prior therapy    
  LABA, n (%)c 21 (2) 21 (2) N/A
  LTRA, n (%)c 1 (0) 1 (0) N/A
Asthma control    
Risk-domain asthma control, n (%)c 1275 (91) 1275 (91) N/A
Overall asthma control, n (%)c 1241 (89) 1241 (89) N/A
Severe exacerbations, n (%)c    
  0 1275 (91) 1275 (91) N/A
  1 109 (8) 109 (8)
  2+ 15 (1) 15 (1)
Asthma-related hospital admissions, n (%) 23 (2) 4 (0) 0.001
Asthma-related hospital admissions, n (%) Ciclesonide 11 (1) N/A N/A
EF-HFA-BDP 12 (1)
  1. GERD, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease; ICS, inhaled corticosteroid; LABA, long-acting β2-agonist; LTRA, leukotriene receptor antagonist; N/A: not applicable; SABA, short-acting β2-agonist; initiation date: the date when patients received their first prescription of extrafine-particle ICS (ciclesonide or EF-HFA-BDP), or fine-particle ICS (fluticasone or Non-EF-BDP)
  2. aExtrafine-particle ICS: ciclesonide; hydrofluoroalkane beclomethasone dipropionate (EF-HFA-BDP)
  3. bFine-particle ICS: non-extrafine-particle beclomethasone dipropionate (Non-EF-BDP); fluticasone propionate
  4. cMatching variable
  5. dAverage ICS daily dose calculated as [(number of inhalers * doses per inhaler / 365) * µg strength]
Back to article page

BMC Pulmonary Medicine

ISSN: 1471-2466

Contact us