| Treatment | Number of Rx | Patients | Mean age yrs | Females | Current smokers# | Peak flow | Distribution of Rx over different steps | Rx for any asthma medication in next 6 months¶ | ||
| Inhaled SABA | LABA | ICS | ||||||||
| SABA only (step 1) | 1,895,096 (25.0) | 381,375 (75.1) | 41.7 | 59.0 | 41.6 | 79.0 | 34.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 73.5 |
| Standard dose ICS only | 372,814 (4.9) | 71,867 (14.1) | 44.4 | 62.7 | 18.9 | 82.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10.8 | 82.4 |
| Regular inhaled preventer therapy (step 2) | 1,812,758 (23.9) | 20,2041 (39.8) | 40.5 | 59.3 | 35.5 | 79.2 | 28.4 | 0.0 | 38.6 | 87.5 |
| Standard dose ICS + LABA + SABA (step 3) | 336,578 (4.4) | 38,220 (7.5) | 43.4 | 61.1 | 35.1 | 77.4 | 4.4 | 19.6 | 7.1 | 93.9 |
| Standard dose ICS + other asthma medication, no LABA (step 3b) | 165,324 (2.2) | 17,717 (3.5) | 54.7 | 59.9 | 39.7 | 69.7 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 2.8 | 96.5 |
| LABA + no ICS (step 3c) | 318,286 (4.1) | 35,058 (6.9) | 45.7 | 60.6 | 24.6 | 75.8 | 2.7 | 18.7 | 0.0 | 93.9 |
| Standard dose ICS and LABA, no SABA | 180,843 (2.4) | 26,475 (5.2) | 46.6 | 61.9 | 23.3 | 80.4 | 0.0 | 12.6 | 4.5 | 91.1 |
| High dose ICS + LABA, (step 4) | 720,847 (9.5) | 48,953 (9.6) | 45.8 | 60.2 | 27.5 | 75.0 | 6.8 | 44.4 | 17.1 | 94.1 |
| High dose ICS + other asthma medications, no SABA and no LABA (step 4b) | 9,177 (0.1) | 1,679 (0.3) | 55.0 | 64.1 | 26.9 | 74.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 96.6 |
| High dose ICS + SABA, no LABA – (step 4c) | 512,172 (6.7) | 45,698 (9.0) | 44.9 | 59.3 | 30.2 | 74.9 | 8.0 | 0.0 | 11.2 | 93.8 |
| High dose ICS only | 79,883 (1.1) | 14,989 (3.0) | 47.6 | 61.7 | 18.6 | 80.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 88.1 |
| Regular oral corticosteroids (step 5) | 174,051 (2.3) | 17,671 (3.5) | 56.8 | 64.0 | 29.0 | 64.5 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 96.3 |
| Other/unclassified | 1,016,770 (13.3) | 125,652 (24.7) | 47.7 | 60.1 | 29.2 | 70.1 | 12.5 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 91.2 |
Data are presented as n (%) or %, unless otherwise stated. Rx: prescription; SABA: short-acting β2-agonist; LABA: long-acting β2-agonist; ICS: inhaled corticosteroid. #: smoking status was not recorded in one out of three of the patients, and past smokers were also not included in this calculation. ¶: for any asthma medication.