Long-acting beta-agonists and the risk of intensive care unit admission in children. J Asthma 2012 Jun;49(5):450-5
Date
05/01/2012Pubmed ID
22540879Pubmed Central ID
PMC3676306DOI
10.3109/02770903.2012.677894Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84862850804 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 6 CitationsAbstract
OBJECTIVE: A possible association between long-acting beta-agonists (LABA) and severe asthma exacerbations including death remains controversial. We examined whether LABA in the setting of combination therapy with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) increase the risk of near-fatal asthma in children using a case-control study design.
METHODS: Medical records from admissions for asthma exacerbations in children 4-18 years of age during the 2005 calendar year at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC were reviewed. Cases and controls were determined by pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and floor admission, respectively. Exposure was defined by LABA use in combination with ICS versus ICS alone.
RESULTS: Records from 85 PICU and 96 pediatric floor admissions were reviewed. LABA use in combination with ICS did not increase the risk of PICU admission (odds ratio 1.07, 95% CI 0.46-2.52) compared to ICS only without LABA. After adjusting for demographics, asthma severity, history of PICU admissions, and concurrent infection, LABA/ICS use still did not increase the risk of PICU admission (adjusted odds ratio 0.84, 95% CI 0.26-2.76) compared to ICS alone. There were no deaths and five intubations within the study period.
CONCLUSIONS: The combination of LABA and ICS did not appear to increase the risk of near-fatal asthma in children.
Author List
Jacobs TS, Jones BL, MacGinnitie AJAuthor
Andrew J. MacGinnitie MD, PhD Chief, Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Administration, InhalationAdolescent
Adrenal Cortex Hormones
Adrenergic beta-2 Receptor Agonists
Albuterol
Anti-Asthmatic Agents
Asthma
Case-Control Studies
Child
Child, Preschool
Drug Therapy, Combination
Female
Humans
Intensive Care Units, Pediatric
Logistic Models
Male
Retrospective Studies
Socioeconomic Factors
