Comorbidities during hospitalisation and treatments for COPD with and without inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) withdrawal, before and after 1–2 propensity score (PS) matching and after stabilised inverse probability weighting (IPTW)
| All patients | 1–2 PS matching | Stabilised IPTW | |||||||
| ICS withdrawal (n=971) ×100 | Control (n=2764) ×100 | smd | ICS withdrawal (n=904) ×100 | Control (n=1808) ×100 | smd | ICS withdrawal (n=872) ×100 | Control (n=2591) ×100 | smd | |
| Comorbidity | |||||||||
| Lung cancer | 0.14% | 0.08% | 16.8% | 0.14% | 0.14% | −0.2% | 0.12% | 0.11% | 3.9% |
| Other malignancy | 0.10% | 0.07% | 12.5% | 0.10% | 0.11% | −2.2% | 0.08% | 0.08% | −1.1% |
| Diabetes/abnormal glucose tolerance | 0.21% | 0.22% | −2.4% | 0.21% | 0.22% | −3.5% | 0.27% | 0.22% | 11.5% |
| Bone fracture/osteoporosis | 0.06% | 0.07% | −2.1% | 0.06% | 0.07% | −4.0% | 0.05% | 0.07% | −4.7% |
| Interstitial pneumonia | 0.11% | 0.05% | 24.5% | 0.11% | 0.11% | −0.9% | 0.07% | 0.07% | 2.6% |
| Bronchial asthma | 0.37% | 0.66% | −61.0% | 0.37% | 0.39% | −4.6% | 0.58% | 0.58% | −0.2% |
| Bronchiectasis | 0.24% | 0.22% | 4.2% | 0.24% | 0.21% | 7.2% | 0.22% | 0.22% | −0.6% |
| Pneumothorax | 0.04% | 0.03% | 3.1% | 0.04% | 0.04% | −2.6% | 0.04% | 0.03% | 1.6% |
| Pulmonary thromboembolism | 0.00% | 0.01% | 3.8% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 4.7% | 0.01% | 0.01% | −0.2% |
| Mycobacterium infection | 0.02% | 0.01% | 10.9% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 2.6% | 0.01% | 0.01% | −0.5% |
| Mycotic infection | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.6% | 0.02% | 0.03% | −6.5% | 0.02% | 0.02% | −1.7% |
| Cor pulmonale | 0.02% | 0.02% | 2.2% | 0.02% | 0.02% | −0.8% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.7% |
| Congestive heart failure | 0.21% | 0.22% | −0.8% | 0.21% | 0.20% | 2.9% | 0.22% | 0.22% | 0.2% |
| Ischaemic heart disease | 0.14% | 0.14% | 1.8% | 0.14% | 0.14% | −0.3% | 0.17% | 0.14% | 9.6% |
| Tachycardia | 0.11% | 0.10% | 3.8% | 0.11% | 0.11% | 1.1% | 0.11% | 0.10% | 0.5% |
| Autoimmune disease | 0.04% | 0.03% | 7.5% | 0.04% | 0.05% | 5.0% | 0.03% | 0.03% | 1.2% |
| Stroke | 0.03% | 0.02% | 5.0% | 0.03% | 0.03% | −0.3% | 0.02% | 0.03% | −1.5% |
| Liver dysfunction | 0.03% | 0.02% | 5.3% | 0.03% | 0.05% | −9.2% | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.7% |
| Renal failure | 0.04% | 0.03% | 5.2% | 0.04% | 0.05% | −2.4% | 0.03% | 0.03% | −1.6% |
| GORD | 0.19% | 0.22% | −6.9% | 0.19% | 0.22% | −5.9% | 0.23% | 0.23% | 0.4% |
| Constipation or ileus | 0.17% | 0.15% | 4.6% | 0.17% | 0.16% | 1.9% | 0.20% | 0.16% | 11.2% |
| Prostate hypertrophy | 0.11% | 0.10% | 3.7% | 0.11% | 0.10% | 4.5% | 0.10% | 0.10% | −1.1% |
| Treatment, categorical data | |||||||||
| Before hospitalisation | |||||||||
| Home ventilatory support | 0.02% | 0.02% | −0.3% | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.8% | 0.03% | 0.02% | 5.9% |
| Home oxygen therapy | 0.25% | 0.29% | −9.3% | 0.25% | 0.24% | 0.8% | 0.29% | 0.28% | 2.5% |
| Both LAMAs and LABAs | 0.24% | 0.20% | 8.3% | 0.24% | 0.24% | −1.3% | 0.24% | 0.22% | 4.8% |
| LAMAs only | 0.58% | 0.67% | −17.4% | 0.58% | 0.59% | −0.6% | 0.64% | 0.65% | −1.6% |
| LABAs only | 0.46% | 0.36% | 20.7% | 0.46% | 0.47% | −2.3% | 0.42% | 0.40% | 5.4% |
| SABAs or SAMAs | 0.43% | 0.56% | −27.2% | 0.43% | 0.44% | −2.0% | 0.54% | 0.51% | 5.5% |
| Theophylline | 0.32% | 0.47% | −31.2% | 0.32% | 0.33% | −0.5% | 0.45% | 0.43% | 4.6% |
| Expectorants | 0.75% | 0.76% | −1.9% | 0.75% | 0.74% | 1.5% | 0.71% | 0.75% | −9.2% |
| Antibiotic prescriptions per 30 days | 0.23% | 0.31% | −11.9% | 0.23% | 0.20% | 5.0% | 0.26% | 0.28% | −2.8% |
| Macrolides per 30 days | 0.11% | 0.19% | −19.4% | 0.11% | 0.09% | 8.6% | 0.14% | 0.16% | −5.2% |
| TMP/SMX combination per 30 days | 0.03% | 0.02% | 4.5% | 0.03% | 0.02% | 4.2% | 0.02% | 0.02% | −2.0% |
| Anti-MRSA drugs per 30 days | 0.00% | 0.00% | 5.5% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 2.4% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 1.5% |
| Antifungal agent per 30 days | 0.00% | 0.00% | −0.9% | 0.00% | 0.00% | −2.8% | 0.00% | 0.00% | −0.6% |
| Medication for influenza per 30 days | 0.00% | 0.00% | −3.6% | 0.00% | 0.00% | −2.5% | 0.00% | 0.00% | −0.0% |
| Oral corticosteroids per 30 days | 0.10% | 0.18% | −15.8% | 0.10% | 0.09% | 3.1% | 0.15% | 0.16% | −1.6% |
| i.v. corticosteroids per 30 days | 0.06% | 0.13% | −14.3% | 0.06% | 0.07% | −3.7% | 0.10% | 0.11% | −2.3% |
| At and during hospitalisation | |||||||||
| Ambulance transport | 0.22% | 0.23% | −1.7% | 0.22% | 0.21% | 4.4% | 0.21% | 0.23% | −4.2% |
| ICU admission | 0.01% | 0.02% | −6.1% | 0.01% | 0.02% | −4.6% | 0.02% | 0.03% | −1.4% |
| Corticosteroids | 0.37% | 0.58% | −41.8% | 0.37% | 0.38% | −1.8% | 0.50% | 0.52% | −3.8% |
| Aminoglycosides | 0.01% | 0.01% | −2.6% | 0.01% | 0.01% | −3.4% | 0.01% | 0.01% | −2.4% |
| Carbapenems | 0.13% | 0.13% | 0.9% | 0.13% | 0.14% | −2.6% | 0.14% | 0.13% | 2.3% |
| Anti-MRSA drugs | 0.02% | 0.01% | 6.8% | 0.02% | 0.03% | −2.1% | 0.03% | 0.02% | 8.2% |
| Macrolides | 0.24% | 0.33% | −22.1% | 0.24% | 0.23% | 2.4% | 0.29% | 0.30% | −2.2% |
| Fluoroquinolones | 0.29% | 0.31% | −3.3% | 0.29% | 0.28% | 2.3% | 0.30% | 0.30% | −0.8% |
| Mechanical ventilation | 0.06% | 0.06% | −0.6% | 0.06% | 0.07% | −4.3% | 0.08% | 0.07% | 5.9% |
| Haemodialysis | 0.01% | 0.01% | 4.6% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 3.0% | 0.01% | 0.01% | −1.2% |
| Nasal tube feeding | 0.02% | 0.01% | 7.2% | 0.02% | 0.01% | 1.3% | 0.02% | 0.01% | 7.2% |
| Surgery under general anaesthesia | 0.00% | 0.00% | −1.6% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 6.3% | 0.00% | 0.00% | −2.8% |
| Prescription of LABAs/LAMAs | 0.05% | 0.01% | 25.7% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.0% | 0.02% | 0.02% | −0.9% |
| Prescription of LAMAs | 0.24% | 0.60% | −77.3% | 0.24% | 0.25% | −1.0% | 0.25% | 0.22% | 7.7% |
| Prescription of LABAs | 0.26% | 0.19% | 16.9% | 0.26% | 0.27% | −2.6% | 0.49% | 0.50% | −1.1% |
| Discharge to home | 0.92% | 0.97% | −22.8% | 0.92% | 0.91% | 4.0% | 0.95% | 0.95% | 0.8% |
| Treatment, numerical data | Mean±sd | Mean±sd | Mean±sd | Mean±sd | Mean±sd | Mean±sd | |||
| Length of stay days | 19.3±20.0 | 19.3±15.9 | 1.7 | 19.4±20.3 | 19.9±14.2 | −2.9 | 20.0±21.4 | 19.4±15.3 | 3.7 |
smd: standardised mean difference; GORD: gastro-oesophageal reflux disease; LAMA: long-acting muscarinic antagonist; LABA: long-acting β2-agonist; SABA: short-acting β2-agonist; SAMA: short-acting muscarinic antagonist; TMP/SMX: trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole; MSRA: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; ICU: intensive care unit.