Inhaled beta agonists and the risk of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and endotracheal intubation for asthma in users and nonusers of inhaled steroids: multivariate analysis
| Inhaled beta agonists units dispensed during 3-months preceding admission | No inhaled steroids dispensed during previous 3 months (n=1298) | Any inhaled steroids dispensed during previous 3 months (n=1046) | ||||
| n | OR (95% CI) | n | OR (95% CI) | |||
| ICU admission | Intubation | ICU admission | Intubation | |||
| None | 648 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 146 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Low dose (1 unit) | 179 | 0.6 (0.3–1.2) | 0.5 (0.2–1.3) | 157 | 0.9 (0.4–1.9) | 1.0 (0.4–2.6) |
| Medium dose (2–3 units) | 189 | 1.4 (0.9–2.2) | 2.2 (1.1–4.1) | 273 | 0.9 (0.5–1.7) | 1.0 (0.4–2.3) |
| High dose (≥4 units) | 282 | 1.6 (1.02–2.4) | 2.6 (1.4–4.7) | 470 | 1.1 (0.6–2.1) | 1.1 (0.5–2.4) |
All analyses adjusted for oral steroid use, methylxanthines, oral beta agonists, ipratroprium bromide, inhaled nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, nasal medications, nebulized beta agonists, age, sex and race. OR: odds ratio; 95% CI: 95% confidence interval.