Table 2

Characteristics of controls selected from cohort of patients with COPD, according to current use of fluticasone and budesonide

Non-useFluticasoneBudesonide
Number of subjects120 89024 1989542
Age (years), mean±SD78.5±7.778.1±7.976.9±7.4
Follow-up (years), mean±SD4.3±3.64.5±3.74.2±3.5
Sex, % men44.947.547.6
Hospitalisation for pneumonia in year prior to cohort entry, %2.93.52.1
Hospitalisation for COPD in year prior to index date, %2.19.44.7
Number of hospitalisations for COPD in year prior to index date (mean±SD)0.0±0.20.1±0.40.1±0.3
Respiratory medication use in year prior to index date
 Oral corticosteroids (no. of prescriptions), mean±SD0.4±2.60.9±3.00.9±2.9
 Antibiotics (no. of prescriptions), mean±SD0.3±2.40.8±2.70.8±2.7
 Respiratory drugs (no. of prescriptions), mean±SD4.2±7.010.6±9.69.6±9.4
  Short-acting β agonists, %44.189.379.4
  Short-acting anticholinergics, %24.557.925.9
  Long-acting β agonists, %10.424.835.7
  Long-acting anticholinergics, %1.12.52.9
  Theophylline, %11.97.010.3
Other medication use in the year prior to index date
 Cardiac drugs, %76.080.776.3
 Diabetes drugs, %14.915.011.1
 Antidepressants, %17.220.616.6
 Central nervous system drugs, %54.355.751.9
 Osteoporosis drugs, %14.620.917.7
 NSAIDs, %29.927.729.3
 Narcotics, %16.118.616.2
 Antirheumatic drugs, %0.90.90.9
  • COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; NSAID, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.