Use of medication during the last 12 months in the random sample#
| ECRHS I | ECRHS II | ECRHS III | Change in prevalence | |
| Inhaled SABAs | 3.6 | 5.7 | 6.2 | 2.7 (2.0–3.4) |
| Inhaled LABAs¶ | 1.2 | 4.2 | 3.0 (2.4–3.6) | |
| ICSs¶ | 1.7 | 4.0 | 5.9 | 4.2 (3.5–4.9) |
| ICS+LABA | 0.9 | 3.8 | 2.9 (2.4–3.5) | |
| Inhaled anticholinergics | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 (0.07–5.1) |
| Theophylline | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | −0.6 (−0.9– −0.4) |
| Oral β2-agonists | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0 | −0.4+ |
| LTRAs | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.4 (0.2–0.7) | |
| OCSs | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.4 (0.1–0.8) |
| Any medication for asthma | 5.2 | 8.0 | 9.9 | 4.8 (3.9–5.6) |
Data are presented as %, and change between European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) I and III in % (95% CI), or in case of absence of information from ECRHS I, change between ECRHS II and ECRHS III in % (95% CI). SABA: short-acting β2-agonist; LABA: long-acting β2-agonist; ICS: inhaled corticosteroid; LTRA: leukotriene receptor antagonist; OCS: oral corticosteroid. #: n=4617; ¶: as a single inhaler or in combination; +: not possible to calculate 95% confidence interval.