title: Inhaled corticosteroids with/without long-acting beta-agonists reduce the risk of rehospitalization and death in COPD patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In patients with COPD who have recently been hospitalized for their disease, we examined whether treatment with inhaled corticosteroids without or with long-acting beta-adrenoceptor agonists (beta-agonists) reduced rehospitalization and mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort analysis in the UK General Practice Research Database.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared rehospitalization for a COPD-related medical condition or death within 1 year after first hospitalization, in 3636 COPD patients receiving prescriptions for inhaled corticosteroids or long-acting beta-agonists compared with 627 reference patients with COPD who were prescribed short-acting bronchodilators only.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rehospitalization within a year occurred in 13.2% of the reference COPD patients, 14.0% of users of long-acting beta-agonists only, 12.3% of users of inhaled corticosteroids only, and 10.4% of users of inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonists. Death within a year occurred in 24.3% of the reference COPD patients, 17.3% of users of long-acting beta-agonists only, 17.1% of users of inhaled corticosteroids only, and in 10.5% of users of inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonists. In multivariate analyses the risk of rehospitalization or death was reduced by 10% in users of long-acting beta-agonists only (NS), by 16% in users of inhaled corticosteroids only, and by 41% in users of combined inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonists (both p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of inhaled corticosteroids with/without long-acting beta-agonists was associated with a reduction of rehospitalization or death in COPD patients.
authors.affiliation: Worldwide Epidemiology, GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Greenford, UK.
authors.forename: Joan B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Soriano
authors.forename: Victor A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Kiri
authors.forename: Neil B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Pride
authors.forename: Jørgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vestbo
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists