Women's characteristics according to LABA use and average daily ICS* dose during pregnancy
| LABA | ICS* | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | Yes | None | 0–62.5 | >62.5–125 | >125–250 | >250–500 | >500 | |
| Number of pregnancies | 6726 | 650 | 3178 | 1652 | 1303 | 686 | 409 | 148 |
| n (%) | ||||||||
| Maternal characteristics | ||||||||
| Age (years) | ||||||||
| <18 | 127 (1.9) | 4 (0.6) | 50 (1.6) | 36 (2.2) | 28 (2.1) | 13 (1.9) | 1 (0.2) | 3 (2.0) |
| 18–34 | 5747 (85.4) | 538 (82.8) | 2756 (86.7) | 1423 (86.1) | 1092 (83.8) | 575 (83.8) | 325 (79.5) | 114 (77.0) |
| >34 | 852 (12.7) | 108 (16.6) | 372 (11.7) | 193 (11.7) | 183 (14.0) | 98 (14.3) | 83 (20.3) | 31 (20.9) |
| Receipt of social assistance | 3741 (55.6) | 394 (60.6) | 1636 (51.5) | 979 (59.3) | 741 (56.9) | 416 (60.6) | 256 (62.6) | 107 (72.3) |
| Urban residence | 5415 (80.5) | 525 (80.8) | 2581 (81.2) | 1306 (79.1) | 1043 (80.0) | 561 (81.8) | 335 (81.9) | 114 (77.0) |
| Maternal chronic conditions | ||||||||
| Chronic hypertension | 194 (2.9) | 21 (3.2) | 86 (2.7) | 50 (3.0) | 38 (2.9) | 17 (2.5) | 15 (3.7) | 9 (6.1) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 239 (3.6) | 31 (4.8) | 102 (3.2) | 66 (4.0) | 38 (2.9) | 34 (5.0) | 18 (4.4) | 12 (8.1) |
| Cystic fibrosis of the pancreas | 32 (0.5) | 5 (0.8) | 14 (0.4) | 4 (0.2) | 9 (0.7) | 2 (0.3) | 4 (1.0) | 4 (2.7) |
| Antiphospholipid syndrome | 39 (0.6) | 2 (0.3) | 17 (0.5) | 8 (0.5) | 9 (0.7) | 4 (0.6) | 3 (0.7) | 0 |
| Pregnancy-related variables | ||||||||
| Gestational diabetes | 638 (9.5) | 94 (14.5) | 288 (9.1) | 157 (9.5) | 131 (10.1) | 76 (11.1) | 55 (13.4) | 25 (16.9) |
| Eclampsia/pre-eclampsia | 195 (2.9) | 27 (4.2) | 86 (2.7) | 54 (3.3) | 41 (3.1) | 20 (2.9) | 13 (3.2) | 8 (5.4) |
| Anaemia | 979 (14.6) | 96 (14.8) | 443 (13.9) | 240 (14.5) | 189 (14.5) | 110 (16.0) | 72 (17.6) | 21 (14.2) |
| Vaginal bleeding | 893 (13.3) | 80 (12.3) | 439 (13.8) | 219 (13.3) | 169 (13.0) | 78 (11.4) | 54 (13.2) | 14 (9.5) |
| Placental conditions | 264 (3.9) | 26 (4.0) | 129 (4.1) | 67 (4.1) | 42 (3.2) | 26 (3.8) | 20 (4.9) | 6 (4.1) |
| Placenta abruption | 239 (3.6) | 27 (4.2) | 113 (3.6) | 74 (4.5) | 39 (3.0) | 20 (2.9) | 18 (4.4) | 2 (1.4) |
| Asthma-related variables | ||||||||
| Severity of asthma prior to pregnancy | ||||||||
| Mild | 5621 (83.6) | 278 (42.8) | 2888 (90.9) | 1427 (86.4) | 1045 (80.2) | 404 (58.9) | 122 (29.8) | 13 (8.8) |
| Moderate | 816 (12.1) | 205 (31.5) | 254 (8.0) | 163 (9.9) | 191 (14.7) | 192 (28.0) | 178 (43.5) | 43 (29.1) |
| Severe | 289 (4.3) | 167 (25.7) | 36 (1.1) | 62 (3.8) | 67 (5.1) | 90 (13.1) | 109 (26.7) | 92 (62.2) |
| During pregnancy | ||||||||
| LABA | 0 | 650 (100) | 0 | 85 (5.1) | 127 (9.7) | 178 (25.9) | 175 (42.8) | 85 (57.4) |
| ICS* | ||||||||
| None | 3178 (47.3) | 0 | 3178 (100) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0–62.5 | 1567 (23.3) | 85 (13.1) | 0 | 1652 (100) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| >62.5–125 | 1176 (17.5) | 127 (19.5) | 0 | 0 | 1303 (100) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| >125–250 | 508 (7.6) | 178 (27.4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 686 (100) | 0 | 0 |
| >250–500 | 234 (3.5) | 175 (26.9) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 409 (100) | 0 |
| >500 | 63 (0.9) | 85 (13.1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 148 (100) |
| SABA (doses/week) | ||||||||
| 0 | 2166 (32.2) | 115 (17.7) | 1776 (55.9) | 267 (16.2) | 167 (12.8) | 41 (6.0) | 27 (6.6) | 3 (2.0) |
| >0–3 | 2408 (35.8) | 120 (18.5) | 896 (28.2) | 972 (58.8) | 526 (40.4) | 93 (13.6) | 32 (7.8) | 9 (6.1) |
| >3 | 2152 (32.0) | 415 (63.8) | 506 (15.9) | 413 (25.0) | 610 (46.8) | 552 (80.5) | 350 (85.6) | 136 (91.9) |
| Leukoteriene-receptor antagonists | 48 (0.7) | 67 (10.3) | 12 (0.4) | 8 (0.5) | 16 (1.2) | 17 (2.5) | 38 (9.3) | 24 (16.2) |
| Oral corticosteroids | 599 (8.9) | 165 (25.4) | 107 (3.4) | 162 (9.8) | 212 (16.3) | 138 (20.1) | 94 (23.0) | 51 (34.5) |
| Intranasal corticosteroids | 769 (11.4) | 160 (24.6) | 228 (7.2) | 202 (12.2) | 206 (15.8) | 146 (21.3) | 103 (25.2) | 44 (29.7) |
| ≥1 ED visit for asthma | 869 (12.9) | 137 (21.1) | 201 (6.3) | 248 (15.0) | 275 (21.1) | 145 (21.1) | 104 (25.4) | 33 (22.3) |
| ≥1 hospitalisation for asthma | 65 (1.0) | 24 (3.7) | 9 (0.3) | 20 (1.2) | 23 (1.8) | 17 (2.5) | 12 (2.9) | 8 (5.4) |
*Fluticasone equivalent, μg/day.
ED, emergency department; ICS, inhaled corticosteroid; LABA, long-acting B2-agonist; SABA, short-acting B2-agonists.