ICS/R03 | ICS+LTRA/R03 | |||||
Low-ratio group# | High-ratio group¶ | p-value | Low-ratio group+ | High-ratio group§ | p-value | |
Subjects n | 792 | 966 | 548 | 1279 | ||
Mean ageƒ years | 27.2 | 28.1 | 0.04 | 27.7 | 27.4 | 0.59 |
Males % | 45.4 | 47.7 | 0.34 | 44.0 | 48.2 | 0.10 |
Long-term disease status## % | 12.6 | 7.4 | 0.0003 | 11.7 | 8.7 | 0.04 |
Free-access-to-care status¶¶ % | 18.3 | 13.8 | 0.009 | 18.8 | 14.4 | 0.02 |
Medical resource utilisation in 2007 | ||||||
≥1 visit to a respiratory physician++ % | 2.9 | 4.4 | 0.09 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 0.08 |
Mean visits to family physician | 7.0 | 5.7 | 0.0002 | 7.3 | 5.7 | <0.0001 |
Controllers | ||||||
ICS (other than LABA–ICS fixed combination) | ||||||
≥1 unit % | 48.4 | 30.0 | <0.0001 | 53.1 | 30.0 | <0.0001 |
Mean number of dispensed units | 2.02 | 0.98 | 2.12 | 1.09 | <0.0001 | |
LABA–ICS fixed combination | ||||||
≥1 unit % | 65.5 | 81.7 | <0.0001 | 58.2 | 77.3 | <0.0001 |
Mean number of dispensed units | 3.04 | 4.79 | <0.0001 | 2.40 | 4.46 | <0.0001 |
Mean number of ICS units (any type) | 5.06 | 5.77 | <0.0001 | 4.52 | 5.55 | <0.0001 |
LABA (not in LABA–ICS fixed combination) | ||||||
≥1 unit % | 28.7 | 6.6 | <0.0001 | 33.3 | 8.9 | <0.0001 |
Mean number of dispensed units | 1.91 | 0.23 | <0.0001 | 2.30 | 0.40 | <0.0001 |
LTRA | ||||||
≥1 unit % | 45.3 | 11.6 | <0.0001 | 21.0 | 33.2 | <0.0001 |
Mean number of dispensed units | 2.77 | 0.39 | <0.0001 | 0.90 | 1.95 | <0.0001 |
ICS: inhaled corticosteroid; RO3: Anatomical Therapeutic and Chemical classification system code for asthma therapy; LTRA: leukotriene receptor antagonists. #: 0%<ICS/R03<50%; ¶: ICS/R03 ≥50%; +: 0%<ICS+LTRA/RO3<50%; §: ICS+LTRA/RO3≥50%; ƒ: age in 2005; ##: patients are dispensed their asthma therapy without advancing the money at the pharmacy; ¶¶: patients with socioeconomic difficulties receive free care; ++: respiratory physicians with a private consulting room (dispensing resulting from prescriptions from hospital respiratory physicians cannot be identified in the data).