A retrospective observational study to characterize severe eosinophilic asthma in Taiwan

Abstract

Background: Severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) is an important asthma phenotype that is poorly described in clinical practice in Asia. Aim and objectives: To characterize the epidemiology, medication dispensation and healthcare resource utilization (HRU) of adult SEA patients in Taiwan. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was carried out within Taichung Veterans General Hospital’s electronic medical record database. Asthma patients aged ≥18 years were identified from 1Jul13-30Jun16. Patients were classified as having SEA if the following criteria were met at baseline: Prescription per GINA Step 4/5 treatment guidelines, 2+ exacerbations, and a blood eosinophil (EOS) count of ≥300 cells/µL or ≥150 cells/µL at baseline. Patients were followed for 1 year post index to examine medication use, HRU and related costs. Results: Of 2,601 eligible asthma patients, 162 (6.2%) patients met the eligibility criteria for SEA. Higher prevalence of SEA was found in current or past smokers (23.5% vs. 16.0%, P=0.0305). The median blood EOS count for SEA patients was higher compared with those without SEA (467.5 cells/µl vs. 167.3 cells/µl, p Conclusions: Although the overall prevalence of SEA was low in this cohort, these patients accounted for higher health care resources than general asthma patients. Funding: GSK (PRJ2409)