title: Use of anti-asthmatic medications in elderly Taiwanese patients.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the use of anti-asthmatic medications in Taiwanese geriatric asthmatic patients. We used computerized prescription databases from the National Health Insurance Program, Taiwan, and classified drugs according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System to analyze the patterns and extent of medication use in people aged over 65 years, and the influence of physician specialty on the prescription of anti-asthmatics. A total of 708,624 prescriptions for 226,018 patients were analyzed. Oral medications were most often prescribed. Only 3.94% and 7.79% of patients were treated with inhaled corticosteroids and inhaled short-acting beta-agonists, respectively. Pulmonologists prescribed significantly more inhaled anti-asthmatics, except for cromolyn, than other types of physicians. More males than females were prescribed each category of anti-asthmatic medications, except for ketotifen. In conclusion, physicians in Taiwan do not prescribe as many inhaled anti-inflammatory agents for the treatment of asthma in the elderly as suggested in international treatment guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chi-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hui-Fen
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Ming-Kung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Chun-Yuh
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000368:Aged; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008509:Medication Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents