| Sensitivity analyses by COPD severity | Benzodiazepine use status | Outpatient respiratory exacerbation | ER visit for COPD or pneumonia | Hospitalisation for COPD or pneumonia | ICU admission during hospitalisation for COPD or pneumonia | All-cause mortality | |||||
| n (%) | RR (95% CI) | n (%) | RR (95% CI) | n (%) | RR (95% CI) | n (%) | RR (95% CI) | n (%) | RR (95% CI) | ||
| 0 exacerbations in the year prior to index | New users | 659 (2.37) | 1.63 (1.44–1.84) | 199 (0.71) | 2.46 (1.90–3.18) | 244 (0.88) | 1.29 (1.07–1.56) | 42 (0.15) | 1.17 (0.75–1.82) | 624 (2.24) | 1.19 (1.06–1.34) |
| Non-users | 405 (1.45) | 81 (0.29) | 189 (0.68) | 36 (0.13) | 523 (1.88) | ||||||
| ≥1 outpatient respiratory exacerbations in the year prior to index | New users | 737 (7.60) | 1.39 (1.25–1.54) | 105 (1.08) | 1.84 (1.34–2.54) | 137 (1.41) | 1.00 (0.79–1.27) | 20 (0.21) | 0.67 (0.38–1.17) | 244 (2.52) | 1.10 (0.92–1.32) |
| Non-users | 532 (5.49) | 57 (0.59) | 137 (1.41) | 30 (0.31) | 221 (2.28) | ||||||
| ≥1 exacerbations requiring presentation to hospital in the year prior to index | New users | 985 (8.67) | 1.40 (1.27–1.53) | 390 (3.43) | 1.75 (1.49–2.06) | 562 (4.94) | 1.05 (0.93–1.17) | 71 (0.62) | 0.79 (0.58–1.07) | 530 (4.66) | 0.67 (0.60–0.75) |
| Non-users | 706 (6.21) | 223 (1.96) | 537 (4.72) | 90 (0.79) | 789 (6.94) | ||||||
ER: emergency room; ICU: intensive care unit.