Oral Corticosteroid Prescriptions Research Articles

Hormone Replacement Therapy and Risk of Severe Asthma Exacerbation in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women: 17-Year National Cohort Study

The impact of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on clinical outcomes in menopausal women is uncertain. To investigate the association between use of HRT and severe asthma exacerbation in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with asthma. We used the Optimum Patient Care Research Database, a population-based longitudinal primary care database in the United Kingdom, to construct a 17-year (January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2016) cohort of perimenopausal and postmenopausal (46-70 years, N= 31,656) women. We defined use of HRT, its subtypes, and duration of HRT use. Severe asthma exacerbation was defined as an asthma-related hospitalization, emergency department visits due to asthma, and/or prescription of oral corticosteroids. Analyses were undertaken using multilevel mixed-effects Poisson regression. At baseline, 22% of women were using any HRT, 11% combined HRT, and 11% estrogen-only HRT. Previous, but not current, use of any (incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-1.26), combined (IRR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.25-1.31), and estrogen-only HRT (IRR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.14-1.21), and longer duration (1-2 years: IRR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.13-1.19; 3-4 years: IRR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.38-1.48; 5+ years: IRR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.28-1.36) of HRT use were associated with increased risk of severe asthma exacerbation compared with nonuse. The risk estimates were greater among lean women (body mass index [BMI] <25 kg/m2) than among heavier women (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2 and ≥30 kg/m2) and higher among smokers than nonsmokers. Use of HRT and subtypes, particularly previous, but not current, use and use for more than 2 years, is associated with an increased risk of severe asthma exacerbation in perimenopausal/postmenopausal women with established asthma. Lean women and smokers are at greater risk than heavier women and nonsmokers, respectively.

German regional variation of acute and high oral corticosteroid use for asthma

Objective: To improve understanding of real-world asthma treatment and inform physician education, we evaluated regional variation in asthma prevalence and oral corticosteroid (OCS) use across Germany. Methods: We developed a machine learning gradient-boosted tree model with IMS® Disease Analyzer electronic medical records, which cover 3% of German patients. This model had a 91% accuracy in predicting the presence of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We applied the model to the IMS® Longitudinal Prescription database, with 82% national coverage, to classify patients receiving treatment for airflow obstruction from October 2017–September 2018 in 63 regions in Germany. Results: Of 2.4 million individuals under statutory health insurance predicted to have asthma, 13.7%, 18.7%, 36.5%, 29.4%, and 1.7% received treatment classified as Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Steps 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Approximately 7–15% of those at GINA Steps 1–4 and 35% at Step 5 treatment received ≥1 acute OCS prescription (duration <10 days). Of patients receiving GINA Steps 1–4 and Step 5 treatments, 1–3% and 86%, respectively, received ≥1 high-dosage OCS prescription. Cumulative OCS dosage and percentages of patients receiving OCS differed substantially across regions, and regions with lower OCS use had greater use of biologic therapies. Conclusions: Both acute and high OCS use varied regionally across Germany, with overall use suggesting patients are considerable risk of adverse effects and long-term health consequences. Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at publisher’s website.

Steroid Stewardship – Survey Results & Awareness Strategies

The most common treatment for severe asthma is the prescription of oral corticosteroids (OCS) but even short-term low-dose use of OCS can result in serious health problems. Side effects are significant in both short-term and long-term use and are pronounced in disparate communities. Key messages have been developed by an interprofessional work group to address the OCS stewardship issues.An additional Awareness Campaign has been developed to address the need to educate patients on the side effects of long-term steroid use. Key messages address people with asthma in minority or low-income communities related to outcomes, death rates and emergency room visits and may be worse during the flu season with the presence of COVID-19.Messaging also contains that while OCS can be an important tool in care, during COVID-19, their use may prevent hospitalization and stresses the importance of primary care or specialist care. OCS has historically been overused, with significant side effects in an already vulnerable population.With awareness and stewardship, asthma treatment can meet patient needs and provide healthy outcomes for every patient, regardless of race, geographic location or income.

Hormonal contraception and the risk of severe asthma exacerbation: 17-year population-based cohort study

BackgroundLongitudinal studies investigating impact of exogenous sex steroids on clinical outcomes of asthma in women are lacking. We investigated the association between use of hormonal contraceptives and risk of severe...

A real-life comparative effectiveness study into the addition of antibiotics to the management of asthma exacerbations in primary care.

Asthma exacerbations are major contributors to asthma morbidity and mortality. They are usually managed with bronchodilators and oral corticosteroids (OCS), but clinical trial evidence suggests that antibiotics could be beneficial. We aimed to assess whether treatment of asthma exacerbations with antibiotics in addition to OCS improved outcomes in larger, more representative routine-care populations. A retrospective comparative effectiveness study into managing asthma exacerbations with OCS alone versus OCS plus antibiotics was conducted using the Optimum Patient Care Research Database. The dataset included 28 637 patients; following propensity score matching 20 024 adults and 4184 children were analysed. Antibiotics in addition to OCS were prescribed for the treatment of asthma exacerbations in 45% of adults and 32% of children. Compared to OCS alone, OCS plus antibiotics was associated with reduced risk of having an asthma/wheeze consultation in the following 2 weeks (children hazard ratio (HR) 0.84 (95% CI 0.73-0.96), p=0.012; adults HR 0.86 (95% CI 0.81-0.91), p<0.001), but an increase in risk of a further OCS prescription for a new/ongoing exacerbation within 6 weeks in adults (HR 1.11 (95% CI 1.01-1.21), p=0.030), but not children. Penicillins, but not macrolides, were associated with a reduction in the odds of a subsequent asthma/wheeze consultation compared to OCS alone, in both adults and children. Antibiotics were frequently prescribed in relation to asthma exacerbations, contrary to guideline recommendations. Overall, the routine addition of antibiotics to OCS in the management of asthma exacerbations appeared to confer little clinical benefit, especially when considering the risks of antibiotic overuse.

Changes in the pharmacological management of rheumatoid arthritis over two decades.

ObjectivesTo assess whether modern management of RA has reduced the prescription of oral corticosteroids and NSAIDs and to evaluate use of pharmacological prophylaxis strategies.MethodsUsing the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, we explored long-term (≥3/12 months; ≥6/12 in sub-analyses) DMARD, corticosteroid and NSAID prescribing (annually, in the year post-diagnosis and across the patient’s life course to 15 years post-diagnosis), annual proportion with co-prescribing for prophylaxis of associated bone (corticosteroids, women only) and gastrointestinal (NSAIDs) comorbidity.ResultsReported incidence of RA was 5.98 (0.37) per 10 000 person-years and prevalence was 0.91% (0.014) in 2017. In 71 411 RA patients, long-term DMARD prescribing initially rose post-diagnosis from 41.6% in 1998 to 67.9% in 2009. Corticosteroid prescribing changed little, overall [22.2% in 1998, 19.1% in 2016; incident risk ratio (IRR) 0.92, 95% CI: 0.82, 1.03] and across the life course from the first to fifteenth year (22.2% to 16.9%). NSAID prescribing declined from 57.7% in 1998, and significantly so from 2008, to 27.1% in 2016 (IRR 0.50, 95% CI: 0.44, 0.56). This continued across the life course (41.2% to 28.4%). Bone prophylaxis increased to 68.1% in 2008 before declining to 56.4% in 2017; gastrointestinal prophylaxis increased from 11.5% in 1998 to 62.6% in 2017. Sub-analyses showed consistent patterns.ConclusionDespite modern treatment strategies, corticosteroid prescribing in RA patients remains substantial and persists beyond 6 months once initiated. Rheumatologists need to determine causes and develop strategies to reduce corticosteroid use to minimize adverse event occurrence.

Clinical Importance of Work-Exacerbated Asthma: Findings From a Prospective Asthma Cohort in a Highly Industrialized City in Korea.

PurposeWork-related asthma (WRA) occupies about 10%–30% of all asthma cases. Among 2 subtypes of WRA (occupational asthma [OA] and work-exacerbated asthma [WEA]), the rate of WEA has been reported to increase recently. WRA is described as having worse characteristics than non-WRA (NWRA), while WEA is known to show similar severity to OA in terms of symptoms and exacerbations. However, these data were mainly based on indirect surveys. Ulsan is a highly industrialized city in Korea; therefore, it is estimated to have a high incidence of WRA. This study aimed to identify the characteristics of WRA in the city.MethodsThis was a prospective asthma cohort study of individuals diagnosed with asthma and treated at Ulsan University Hospital between Jan 2015 and Dec 2016. Baseline characteristics and work-related inquiry (9 questionnaires) were investigated at enrollment. Various severity indices and job change were then investigated for the longitudinal analysis at 12 months after enrollment.ResultsIn total, 217 asthma patients completed the study. WRA accounted for 17% (36/217), with an equal number of WEA and OA (18 patients each). Before the work-related survey, only 33% (n = 12) of WRA patients (22% [4/18] of WEA and 44% [8/18] of OA) were diagnosed with WRA by the attending physicians. Compared to the NWRA group and the OA subgroup, the WEA subgroup had more outpatient visits, more oral corticosteroids prescriptions, and trends of low asthma control test scores and severe asthma. The rate of job change was markedly lower in the WEA subgroup than in the OA subgroup (20% vs. 5%).ConclusionsThe overall prevalence of WRA (17%) was similar to those of previous studies, but the share of WEA was high (50% of WRA). WEA was more severe than OA or NWRA. The possible reason for this severity is ongoing workplace exposure.

Empiric Switching of Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents in Patients With History of Previous Immediate Hypersensitivity Reaction to GBCA: A Prospective Single-Center, Single-Arm Efficacy Trial.

Breakthrough hypersensitivity reactions (HRs) to gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) occur in 40% of patients despite corticosteroid premedication. Other strategies to reduce HRs are not well studied. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate HR rate to GBCA among patients with history of HR to GBCA, empirically given an alternative GBCA prior to repeat administration. From September 2019 to September 2020, patients with prior HR to GBCA received 13-hour oral corticosteroid and diphenhydramine premedication prescription with switching of GBCA to gadoterate (previously unavailable at our institution before September 2019). Power analysis (α error, 0.05; β error, 0.80) determined 21 patients were required. Patients were evaluated under a quality assurance waiver from the institutional review board. A radiologist documented the nature of initial HR and inciting GBCA, premedication received, incidence, and severity of breakthrough HR. After exclusions, we evaluated 26 patients with mild (92.3% [24/26]) or moderate (7.7% [2/26]) HR to gadobutrol (53.8% [14/26]), gadoxetate (3.8% [1/26]), and gadopentetate (3.8% [1/26]). In 38.5% (10/26), inciting GBCA was unknown but was likely gadobutrol or gadopentetate based on availability. There were 22 females. The mean patient age was 52.1 ± 15.8 years.From 27 gadoterate administrations, 59.3% (16/27) patients received corticosteroid and diphenhydramine premedication, 11.1% (3/27) received only diphenhydramine, and 29.6% (8/27) with no premedication.Hypersensitivity reaction rate after empiric switching to gadoterate was 3.7% (1 mild reaction; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.09%-18.9%) overall with no difference in patients with (6.3% [1/16]; 95% CI, 0.15%-28.7%) or without (0%; [0/11] upper bound 95% CI, 25.0%) corticosteroid premedication. In this prospective single-arm study, empirically switching GBCA to gadoterate in patients with prior HR to GBCA substantially reduced the expected rate of subsequent HRs in patients with and without the use of corticosteroid premedication. Empirically switching GBCAs, with or without the use of corticosteroid premedication, can substantially reduce the rate of hypersensitivity breakthrough reactions.

Oral corticosteroid prescription for asthma by general practitioners: A three-year analysis in Germany

BackgroundRegular treatment of patients with asthma with oral corticosteroids (OCS) remains common despite potential severe side effects and alternative treatment options. However, there is limited data on the prevalence of OCS prescriptions for patients with asthma in Germany. MethodsRecords from 1039 General practitioners for the years 2015–2017 in the German IMS® Disease Analyzer database were retrospectively analysed for patients with at least two confirmed asthma diagnoses (ICD-10) per observed year, representing approximately 30,000 patients per year. Asthma treatment steps (1–5) were assigned according to the German national guideline, based on prescribed therapies. ResultsIn the years 2015–2017, 20.3–21.3% of patients were classified as being in treatment step 1, 4.7–5.2% in step 2, 38.8–40.1% in step 3, 31.7–32.1% in step 4 and 2.7–3.2% in step 5. Proportions of patients treated with OCS >30 days/year were 9.4% (2015), 9.6% (2016) and 8.9% (2017), reducing to 8.1%, 8.2% and 7.4%, respectively, when patients with other inflammatory diseases possibly requiring OCS treatment were excluded. Use of OCS >30 days/year was more prevalent in patients aged >65 years (14.1–15.0%) than those aged 18–65 years (6.8–7.8%). Median daily prednisolone dose was 10–15 mg/day. Approximately 30% of patients treated with OCS >30 days/year were not in step 5 (based on their prescribed inhaled therapies). ConclusionThese data suggest that a substantial proportion of patients with asthma in non-specialised care in Germany receive OCS prescriptions regularly, despite the availability of less harmful alternative treatment options.

Corticosteroid choice and clinical outcomes for asthma exacerbations in the primary care setting

Objective To evaluate clinical outcomes in young children with acute asthma exacerbations treated with prednisone/prednisolone versus dexamethasone in the primary care setting. Methods Retrospective cohort study of children ages 3-9 years with a primary care clinic visit for asthma and an associated oral corticosteroid (OCS) prescription fill in the Colorado All Payers Claim Database between 2/2013-3/2019. This was a secondary analysis of a dataset extracted to analyze risk of future development of asthma in younger children. The primary outcome was subsequent ED visit or hospital admission for asthma within 2-14 days after the index clinic visit. Demographics and asthma health services characteristics were assessed. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the association between type of OCS prescription filled within 1 day of the index clinic visit and the primary outcome. Results There were 3236 index clinic visits for asthma for 1918 children during the study period. Sixty-two percent were male and 66% were 3-4 years old. Prednisone/prednisolone accounted for 84% of OCS prescriptions fills within 1 day of the index clinic visit. One percent visited the ED and 1% required hospital admission within 2-14 days. In multivariate analysis, there was no statistical association between type of OCS prescribed and the primary outcome (OR 0.82; 95% CI: 0.37-1.8). Conclusions There are no differences in clinical outcomes by type of OCS prescribed for acute asthma exacerbations in the primary care setting. Due to better adherence and side effect profile, primary care providers may consider to use dexamethasone as the preferred OCS.

Blood eosinophil count predicts treatment failure and hospital readmission for COPD.

We examined associations between blood eosinophil counts (BEC) and risk of treatment failure or hospital readmission following acute oral corticosteroid (OCS)-treated COPD exacerbations.We conducted studies from the Optimum Patient Care Research Database (OPCRD) (www.optimumpatientcare.org/opcrd) and Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) (www.cprd.com/home/), validated databases for medical research, with linked Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data for ∼20 000 COPD patients aged ≥40 years. For patients with OCS-treated COPD exacerbations treated in primary care, with BECs recorded on first day of OCS treatment (Cohort 1), we assessed treatment failure (COPD-related hospitalisations and OCS prescriptions beyond index OCS course). For patients hospitalised for COPD exacerbations, with BEC measured over an exacerbation-free period during the year prior to admission (Cohort 2), we assessed readmission rate. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was adjusted for confounders to estimate the association between BEC and treatment outcomes.Of patients treated with OCS for COPD exacerbations in primary care (Cohort 1), 44% experienced treatment failure following single OCS courses, and 10% (255/2482) were hospitalised for ≤6 weeks. Greater BEC was associated with reduced hospital-admission risk (hazard ratio [HR]=0.26; 95% CI: 0.12–0.56, per 100 cells·µL−1 increase). BEC increases of ≥200 cells·µL−1 from exacerbation-free periods to exacerbations were associated with least hospitalisation risk (HR=0.32; 95% CI: 0.15–0.71) versus no BEC change. For patients hospitalised for COPD exacerbations (Cohort 2), 4-week hospital readmission was 12% (1189/10 245). BEC increases during an exacerbation-free period within the past year were associated with reduced risk of short-term readmission (HR=0.78; 95% CI: 0.63–0.96).Greater BEC predicted better outcomes for patients with OCS-treated COPD exacerbations, whether community or hospital managed. Eosinopenia predicted worse outcomes.

Medication-related factors associated with proton pump inhibitor prescription beyond official guidelines in older adults.

To investigate the relationship between medications with a known risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) prescription not according to guidelines. An analysis of the records of 592 hospitalised patients aged 65years or older was undertaken. The number of all medicines, potentially inappropriate medicines according to the EU(7)-PIM list and the Beers Criteria 2019 and medicines with a known risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, was compared in patients with PPI prescription not given based on guidelines and in patients with no PPI prescription. Patients prescribed PPI not based on guidelines used more medications on average (9.6 vs. 6.4, p < 0.001), more PIMs according to the EU(7)-PIM list (2.4 vs. 1.1, p < 0.001) and the Beers criteria (2.0 vs. 0.6, p < 0.001) at hospital admission and at discharge (8.9 vs. 7.5, p < 0.001, mean number of medications), (2.0 vs. 1.2, p < 0.001, EU(7)-PIM list), (1.9 vs. 0.8, p < 0.001, Beers criteria) than patients with no PPI prescription. Patients prescribed PPI not according to guidelines were more frequently using direct oral anticoagulants (28% vs. 12.8%, p < 0.001), corticosteroids (5.3% vs. 0.7%, p = 0.025) at hospital admission and at discharge (25.9% vs. 16.5%, p = 0.018, oral anticoagulants), (6.6% vs. 1%, p = 0.006, corticosteroids), (13.3% vs. 5.4%, p = 0.004, warfarin) than patients with no PPI prescription. The number of medications, potentially inappropriate medications according to the EU(7)-PIM list and Beers criteria, and the use of direct oral anticoagulants, warfarin and corticosteroid prescriptions were the medication-related factors associated with PPI prescription not according to guidelines in elderly patients.

Oral Corticosteroid Treatment Patterns of Patients in the United States with Persistent Asthma

Patients with poor asthma control may receive oral corticosteroid (OCS) therapy despite the risk for adverse effects. We assessed OCS use frequency and treatment patterns in patients with persistent asthma in the United States(US). We used the IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters, Medicare Supplemental, and Medicaid Multistate Claims research databases to identify patients from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2017, who were ≥12 years old, met the 2-year Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set criteria for persistent asthma, and were continuously enrolled ≥6 months before (baseline) and ≥24 months after (follow-up) the persistent asthma index date. Patients were classified as high OCS use (defined as ≥450 mg of OCS prescribed within a 90-day period during follow-up), low use (use OCS but not meeting high use criteria), or no OCS use. We identified 435,675 patients, of whom 65% used OCS and 19% were classified as high OCS users at some point during follow-up. The annual prevalence of high OCS use ranged from 5.3% in 2013 to 7.6% in 2017. During the entire follow-up, high and low OCS users filled an average of 2.2 and 0.8 OCS prescriptions and received an average daily dosage of 2.2 and 0.3 mg, respectively. Once the patients became high OCS users, the average daily OCS dosage was relatively stable (5.1-7.1 mg) over 3 years. Patients with persistent asthma in the US have substantial exposure to OCS. OCS therapy should be considered carefully to avoid associated adverse effects.

412 Comparisons of oral corticosteroid treatment patterns for toxicodendron dermatitis

Toxicodendron Dermatitis (TD) is a common form of allergic contact dermatitis that affects millions of Americans every year. While some cases remain mild and can be managed with over-the-counter remedies, many patients experience significant pruritus from the eruptions and can require systemic medical intervention to ease the symptoms. The objective of this study is to evaluate medical claims associated with TD outpatient visits and compare healthcare utilization outcomes depending on the days’ supply of the initial oral corticosteroid prescription. For this study, we used Truven MarketScan© claims from 2017 with a diagnosis of TD (ICD-10: L23.7) for outpatient and pharmaceutical claims. During this time, 70,120 individuals incurred 151,672 claims for TD. Only 37.9% (n=26,571) patients received a prescription for oral corticosteroids on their initial visit. Of those that received a prescription for an oral corticosteroid, 83.9% (n=22,287) were given a 1 to 13 day supply, 13.8% (n=3,659) were given a 14 to 20 day supply, and 2.4% (n=625) were given a 21 day supply or more. Of those who had a second visit for TD (n=3,138), 38.3% (n=1,203) were not given an oral corticosteroid at their initial visit, 53.6% (n=1,682) were given an initial oral corticosteroid prescription with a day supply of 1 to 13 days, and the remaining 8.1% (n=253) having an oral corticosteroid prescribed for 14 days or more at their initial visit. The results of this study found that oral corticosteroids are relatively under-prescribed for TD as the majority of literature regarding the treatment of TD suggests a minimum course of 14 days. Also, those with TD who receive no prescription or a prescription with a shorter duration (i.e. 1 to 13 days) at an initial office or ED visit make up the majority of those who have a return visit for TD as well, which could in turn impact the cost and quality of care that these patients receive. Future studies are needed to determine how prescribing practices impact the cost of care for patients and identify means of reducing that cost burden.

Patterns of oral corticosteroids use in primary care patients with severe asthma.

To assess the pattern of use of oral corticosteroids (OC) in primary care patients with severe asthma. Data derived from the Health Search Database (HSD) gathering information on 700 Italian general practitioners. A cohort of severe asthma patients was identified between 2013 and 2017 and followed-up for one year. The association between candidate predictors and the incident escalation to OC was tested through a multivariate Cox regression model. Among patients with asthma (N=55,075), 284 were diagnosed with severe asthma. Among them, the proportion of OC users decreased from 82.2% in 2013 to 75.3% in 2017. For what concerns the determinants of OC prescriptions, among 284 patients being defined at baseline (2013-2016) as those suffering from severe asthma, 216 (76.1%) were first-ever prescribed with OC at least once during one year of follow-up. The presence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (HR 1.37; 95% CI 1.02-1.85), osteoarthritis (HR 1.54; 95% CI 1.12-2.12) and moderate asthma exacerbations (HR 1.72; 95% CI 1-02-2.93) was significantly associated with the outcome. The optimization of asthma treatment and the management of comorbidities may be potential leverages to reduce the inappropriate use of OC in patients with severe asthma.

Oral corticosteroid prescription patterns for asthma in France, Germany, Italy and the UK.

Oral corticosteroids (OCS) are used to manage asthma exacerbations and severe, uncontrolled asthma, but OCS use is associated with adverse effects. We aimed to describe the patterns of OCS use in the real-world management of patients with asthma in western Europe.We used electronic medical records from databases in France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom from July 2011 through February 2018. Patients aged ≥12 years with an asthma diagnosis, at least one non-OCS asthma medication within ±6 months of diagnosis, and available data ≥6 months prior to and ≥90 days after cohort entry were included. High OCS use was defined as OCS ≥450 mg prescribed in a 90-day window during follow-up. Baseline characteristics and OCS use during follow-up were described overall and by OCS use status.Of 702 685 patients with asthma, 14–44% were OCS users and 6–9% were high OCS users at some point during follow-up. Annual prevalence of high OCS use across all countries was ∼3%. High OCS users had a mean of between one and three annual OCS prescriptions, with an average daily OCS dosage of 1.3–2.2 mg. For patients who continued to meet the high-use definition, daily OCS exposure was generally stable at 5.5–7.5 mg for ≥2 years, increasing the risk of adverse effects.Our study demonstrates that OCS use is relatively common across the four studied European countries. Data from this study may provide decisive clinical insights to inform primary care physicians and specialists involved in the management of severe, uncontrolled asthma.

A retrospective database study of oral corticosteroid and bisphosphonate prescribing patterns in England

Exposure to oral corticosteroids (OCS) is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis and fragility fractures. Guidelines suggest bisphosphonate (BP) therapy as the first-line treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP). This population study used publicly available data, including prescription annual cost analysis and monthly practice-level data. Our aim was to examine the prescribing of OCS and BP at practice level and investigate reasons for variation using a mixed-effect negative binomial regression analysis. There was a rise in OCS and BP prescriptions of 55% and 1200% from 1998 to 2018, respectively. Of the 6586 included practices, the median (IQR) of OCS and BP prescriptions were 120.8 (84.8–160.4) and 107.7 (73.8–147.4) per 1000 patients, respectively. Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were significantly associated with OCS use (p < 0.0001), but only COPD was associated with BP use (p < 0.0001). Higher OCS prescribing rates were associated with higher BP prescribing rates (5th to 1st quintile—IRR = 1.99; 95% CI: 1.88–2.10). Practice list size, deprivation and advanced age were all associated with both drugs (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, although OCS use is positively associated with BP prescription, variation among practices and CCGs exists. The variation in prescribing suggests there is still a need to improve GIOP prevention.

Evaluating the association between avascular necrosis of femoral head and oral corticosteroids use in Taiwan.

The aim of this study was to assess a correlation between avascular necrosis of femoral head and oral corticosteroids use in the general population in Taiwan. A population-based case-control study was performed to analyze the database of Taiwan National Health Insurance Program. The study consisted of 3002 subjects aged 20 to 84 with newly diagnosed avascular necrosis of femoral head between 2000 and 2013 as the cases and 11279 sex-matched and age-matched subjects without avascular necrosis of femoral head as the matched controls. Use of oral corticosteroids was defined as subjects who had at least a prescription for oral corticosteroids before the index date. No use of oral corticosteroids was defined as subjects who did not have a prescription for oral corticosteroids before the index date. The logistic regression model revealed that subjects with avascular necrosis of femoral head were 1.65 times more likely to be exposed to oral corticosteroids than those subjects without avascular necrosis of femoral head (OR 1.65, 95% CI = 1.51–1.80). A sub-analysis revealed that there was a significant association between avascular necrosis of femoral head and increasing cumulative duration of oral corticosteroids for each additional month of use (OR 1.03, 95% CI = 1.02–1.03). A significant association is detected between avascular necrosis of femoral head and oral corticosteroids use in the general population in Taiwan. There is a duration-dependent effect of oral corticosteroids use on the risk of avascular necrosis of femoral head. Clinicians should be aware of the risk of avascular necrosis of femoral head when oral corticosteroids are prescribed for a long time.

Inhaled corticosteroid withdrawal may improve outcomes in elderly patients with COPD exacerbation: a nationwide database study.

BackgroundInhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) are used for advanced-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The application and safety of ICS withdrawal remain controversial.This study aimed to evaluate the association between ICS withdrawal and outcomes in elderly patients with COPD with or without comorbid bronchial asthma, who were hospitalised for exacerbation.Patients and methodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database from July 2010 to March 2016. We identified patients aged ≥65 years who were hospitalised for COPD exacerbation. Re-hospitalisation for COPD exacerbation or death, frequency of antimicrobial medicine prescriptions and frequency of oral corticosteroid prescriptions after discharge were compared between patients with withdrawal and continuation of ICSs using propensity score analyses, namely 1–2 propensity score matching and stabilised inverse probability of treatment weighting.ResultsAmong 3735 eligible patients, 971 and 2764 patients had ICS withdrawal and continuation, respectively. The hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of re-hospitalisation for COPD exacerbation or death for ICS withdrawal compared to continuation were 0.65 (0.52–0.80) in the propensity score matching and 0.71 (0.56–0.90) in the inverse probability of treatment weighting. The frequency of antimicrobial prescriptions but not corticosteroid prescriptions within 1 year was significantly less in the ICS withdrawal group. Among patients with comorbid bronchial asthma, ICS withdrawal was significantly associated with reduced re-hospitalisation for COPD exacerbation or death only in the propensity score matching analysis.ConclusionICS withdrawal after COPD exacerbation was significantly associated with reduced incidences of re-hospitalisation or death among elderly patients, including those with comorbid bronchial asthma.

The Relationship Between Real-World Inhaled Corticosteroid Adherence and Asthma Outcomes: A Multilevel Approach

Low inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) adherence is associated with increased asthma burden. This relationship is likely bidirectional, and may vary across adherence stages (initiation, implementation, and persistence). Studies rarely examine reciprocal influences. To investigate the relationship between ICS implementation and asthma-related outcomes over 2 years, considering bidirectionality and temporal sequence. Primary care records (1987-2012) from the Optimum Patient Care Research Database, United Kingdom, were used. Eligible patients were 6 years or older and had 3 or more years of continuous registration starting 1 year before ICS initiation (index date), physician-diagnosed asthma, 2 or more ICS and/or short-acting β-agonist prescriptions each follow-up year, and no long-acting β-agonists, leukotriene receptor antagonists, or maintenance oral corticosteroids in the preceding year. ICS implementation (percentage of days covered) and risk domain asthma control (RDAC; no asthma-related hospitalizations, emergency visits, or outpatient visits and no oral corticosteroid or antibiotic prescriptions with evidence of respiratory review) were estimated for each prescription interval (period between 2 successive prescriptions). Multilevel analyses modeled bidirectional relationships between ICS implementation and RDAC (and its components), controlling for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. In prescription data from 10,472 patients, ICS implementation in the preceding interval did not predict RDAC, but was weakly positively associated with simultaneous RDAC. Being male, non-current smoker, without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease diagnosis, and with fewer than 4 comorbidities significantly increased odds of RDAC. Asthma-related antibiotics and outpatient visits in the same interval and short-acting β-agonist overuse in the preceding and same interval predicted lower ICS implementation. Patients may adapt their ICS use to their current needs without this impacting later RDAC.