Table 2 Healthcare and medication utilisation in the baseline year
| Â | Total No. 5230 | Control No. 4184 | ICS cessation No. 1046 | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Respiratory consultations in primary care | 3.8 (± 3.6) | 3.7 (± 3.4) | 4.1 (± 4.0) | 0.001 |
Exacerbations managed in primary care | 1.0 (± 1.4) | 1.0 (± 1.4) | 1.0 (± 1.3) | 0.41 |
Exacerbations requiring A&E attendance or hospitalisation | 0.08 (± 0.32) | 0.08 (± 0.31) | 0.09 (± 0.35) | 0.21 |
Total exacerbations | 1.1 (± 1.4) | 1.1 (± 1.4) | 1.1 (± 1.4) | 0.68 |
Pneumonia-coded consultation, n (%) | 153 (2.9%) | 101 (2.4%) | 52 (5.0%) | < 0.001 |
ICS prescriptions | 11.1 (± 3.7) | 10.9 (± 3.5) | 12.3 (± 4.3) | < 0.001 |
ICS adherence (medication possession ratio) | 98.4 (± 37.9) | 96.1 (± 37.5) | 107.8 (± 38.2) | < 0.001 |
LABA prescriptions | 11.2 (± 4.2) | 10.8 (± 3.8) | 12.6 (± 5.1) | < 0.001 |
LAMA prescriptions | 9.6 (± 4.7) | 9.3 (± 4.6) | 11.1 (± 4.8) | < 0.001 |
SABA prescriptions | 11.4 (± 9.9) | 11.4 (± 9.7) | 11.6 (± 10.5) | 0.66 |
Theophylline prescriptions, n (%) | 440 (8.4%) | 384 (9.2%) | 56 (5.4%) | < 0.001 |
Carbocysteine prescriptions, n (%) | 1142 (21.8%) | 920 (22.0%) | 222 (21.2%) | 0.62 |
Antibiotic prescriptions, n (%) | 2571 (49.2%) | 2078 (49.7%) | 493 (47.1%) | 0.15 |
Oral corticosteroid prescriptions, n (%) | 3122 (59.7%) | 2552 (61.0%) | 570 (54.4%) | < 0.001 |