Use of various types of medicines in subjects with current wheeze and severe asthma with or without doctor-diagnosed asthma
| Current wheezers with doctor-diagnosed asthma | Current wheezers without doctor-diagnosed asthma | p-value# | Severe asthma with doctor-diagnosed asthma¶ | Severe asthma without doctor-diagnosed asthma¶ | p-value# | |
| 6–7-year age group | n=115 | n=519 | n=95 | n=225 | ||
| Inhaled β-agonists | ||||||
| Only when needed | 41 (35.65) | 10 (1.93) | 0.000 | 33 (34.74) | 3 (1.33) | 0.000 |
| In short courses | 18 (15.65) | 5 (0.96) | 15 (15.79) | 1 (0.44) | ||
| Every day | 5 (4.35) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (3.16) | 0 (0.0) | ||
| Not using any medicine | 51 (44.35) | 504 (97.11) | 44 (46.31) | 221 (98.23) | ||
| ICS | ||||||
| Only when needed | 16 (13.91) | 8 (1.54) | 0.000 | 11 (11.58) | 3 (1.33) | 0.000 |
| In short courses | 12 (10.43) | 1 (0.19) | 11 (11.58) | 0 (0.0) | ||
| Every day | 4 (3.48) | 1 (0.19) | 3 (3.16) | 0 (0.0) | ||
| Not using any medicine | 83 (72.18) | 509 (98.08) | 70 (73.68) | 222 (98.67) | ||
| Combined (ICS+LABA) | ||||||
| Only when needed | 14 (12.17) | 4 (0.77) | 0.000 | 9 (9.47) | 1 (0.44) | 0.000 |
| In short courses | 6 (5.22) | 3 (0.58) | 4 (4.21) | 0 (0.0) | ||
| Every day | 9 (7.83) | 1 (0.19) | 8 (8.42) | 0 (0.0) | ||
| Not using any medicine | 86 (74.78) | 511 (98.47) | 74 (77.90) | 224 (99.56) | ||
| 13–14-year age group | n=239 | n=701 | n=182 | n=380 | ||
| Inhaled β-agonists | ||||||
| Only when needed | 107 (44.77) | 41 (5.85) | 0.000 | 97 (53.30) | 26 (6.84) | 0.000 |
| In short courses | 18 (7.53) | 22 (3.14) | 17 (9.34) | 7 (1.84) | ||
| Every day | 8 (3.35) | 1 (0.14) | 7 (3.85) | 1 (0.26) | ||
| Not using any medicine | 106 (44.35) | 637 (90.87) | 61 (33.52) | 346 (91.06) | ||
| ICS | ||||||
| Only when needed | 30 (12.55) | 13 (1.85) | 0.000 | 23 (12.64) | 11 (2.89) | 0.000 |
| In short courses | 46 (19.25) | 6 (0.86) | 42 (23.07) | 5 (1.32) | ||
| Every day | 8 (3.35) | 0 (0.0) | 5 (2.75) | 0 (0.0) | ||
| Not using any medicine | 155 (64.85) | 682 (97.29) | 112 (61.54) | 364 (95.79) | ||
| Combined (ICS+LABA) | ||||||
| Only when needed | 65 (27.20) | 16 (2.28) | 0.000 | 58 (31.86) | 13 (3.42) | 0.000 |
| In short courses | 6 (2.51) | 4 (0.57) | 0.012 | 4 (2.20) | 4 (1.05) | |
| Every day | 5 (2.09) | 2 (0.29) | 0.005 | 5 (2.75) | 2 (0.53) | |
| Not using any medicine | 163 (68.20) | 679 (96.86) | 115 (63.19) | 361 (95.0) | ||
| Adults | n=603 | n=2077 | n=467 | n=1032 | ||
| Inhaled β-agonists | ||||||
| Only when needed | 218 (36.15) | 24 (1.16) | 0.000 | 171 (36.62) | 16 (1.55) | 0.000 |
| In short courses | 33 (5.47) | 4 (0.19) | 31 (6.64) | 3 (0.29) | ||
| Every day | 30 (4.98) | 3 (0.14) | 26 (5.57) | 3 (0.29) | ||
| Not using any medicine | 322 (53.40) | 2046 (98.51) | 239 (51.17) | 1010 (97.87) | ||
| ICS | ||||||
| Only when needed | 58 (9.62) | 9 (0.43) | 0.000 | 49 (10.49) | 7 (0.68) | 0.000 |
| In short courses | 21 (3.48) | 3 (0.14) | 19 (4.07) | 3 (0.29) | ||
| Every day | 13 (2.16) | 0 (0.0) | 11 (2.36) | 0 (0.0) | ||
| Not using any medicine | 511 (84.74) | 2065 (99.43) | 388 (83.08) | 1022 (99.03) | ||
| Combined (ICS+LABA) | ||||||
| Only when needed | 101 (16.75) | 11 (0.53) | 0.000 | 73 (15.63) | 8 (0.78) | 0.000 |
| In short courses | 18 (2.99) | 4 (0.19) | 14 (3.00) | 4 (0.39) | ||
| Every day | 37 (6.14) | 0 (0.0) | 32 (6.85) | 0 (0.0) | ||
| Not using any medicine | 447 (74.12) | 2062 (99.28) | 348 (74.52) | 1020 (98.83) | ||
Data are presented as n (%), unless otherwise stated. ICS: inhaled corticosteroid; LABA: long-acting β-agonist. #: the Chi-squared test is used when all expected cell frequencies are ≥5. If expected cell frequency was <5 the Fisher exact probability test was used. ¶: severe asthma is defined as current wheeze with more than four attacks per year or wheeze affecting speech or activity.