Electronic health record-based assessment of oral corticosteroid use in a population of primary care patients with asthma: an observational study

A Charter to Fundamentally Change the Role of Oral Corticosteroids in the Management of Asthma

Asthma affects 339 million people worldwide, with an estimated 5-10% experiencing severe asthma. In emergency settings, oral corticosteroids (OCS) can be lifesaving, but acute and long-term treatment can produce clinically important adverse outcomes and increase the risk of mortality. Therefore, global guidelines recommend limiting the use of OCS. Despite the risks, research indicates that 40-60% of people with severe asthma are receiving or have received long-term OCS treatment. Although often perceived as a low-cost option, long-term OCS use can result in significant health impairments and costs owing to adverse outcomes and increased utilization of healthcare resources. Alternative treatment methods, such as biologics, may produce cost-saving benefits with a better safety profile. A comprehensive and concerted effort is necessary to tackle the continued reliance on OCS. Accordingly, a threshold for OCS use should be established to help identify patients at risk of OCS-related adverse outcomes. Receiving a total dose of more than 500 mg per year should trigger a review and specialist referral. Changes to national and local policies, following examples from other chronic diseases, will be crucial to achieving this goal. Globally, multiple barriers to change still exist, but specific steps have been identified to help clinicians reduce reliance on OCS. Implementing these changes will result in positive health outcomes for patients and social and economic benefits for societies.

Factors Associated With Asthma Biologic Prescribing and Primary Adherence Among Adults in a Large Health System

BACKGROUND

The availability of asthma biologics may not benefit all patients equally.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to identify patient characteristics associated with asthma biologic prescribing, primary adherence, and effectiveness.

METHODS

A retrospective, observational cohort study of 9,147 adults with asthma who established care with a Penn Medicine asthma subspecialist was conducted using Electronic Health Record data from January 1, 2016, to October 18, 2021. Multivariable regression models were used to identify factors associated with (1) receipt of a new biologic prescription; (2) primary adherence, defined as receiving a dose in the year after receiving the prescription, and (3) oral corticosteroid (OCS) bursts in the year after the prescription.

RESULTS

Factors associated with a new prescription, which was received by 335 patients, included being a woman (odds ratio [OR] 0.66; P = .002), smoking currently (OR 0.50; P = .04), having an asthma hospitalization in the prior year (OR 2.91; P < .001), and having 4+ OCS bursts in the prior year (OR 3.01; P < .001). Reduced primary adherence was associated with Black race (incidence rate ratio 0.85; P < .001) and Medicaid insurance (incidence rate ratio 0.86; P < .001), although most in these groups, 77.6% and 74.3%, respectively, still received a dose. Nonadherence was associated with patient-level barriers in 72.2% of cases and health insurance denial in 22.2%. Having more OCS bursts after receiving a biologic prescription was associated with Medicaid insurance (OR 2.69; P = .047) and biologic days covered (OR 0.32 for 300-364 d vs 14-56 d; P = .03).

CONCLUSIONS

In a large health system, primary adherence to asthma biologics varied by race and insurance type, whereas nonadherence was primarily explained by patient-level barriers.

Oral Corticosteroid Treatment Patterns of Patients in the United States with Persistent Asthma

BACKGROUND

Patients with poor asthma control may receive oral corticosteroid (OCS) therapy despite the risk for adverse effects.

OBJECTIVE

We assessed OCS use frequency and treatment patterns in patients with persistent asthma in the United States (US).

METHODS

We used the IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters, Medicare Supplemental, and Medicaid Multistate Claims research databases to identify patients from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2017, who were ≥12 years old, met the 2-year Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set criteria for persistent asthma, and were continuously enrolled ≥6 months before (baseline) and ≥24 months after (follow-up) the persistent asthma index date. Patients were classified as high OCS use (defined as ≥450 mg of OCS prescribed within a 90-day period during follow-up), low use (use OCS but not meeting high use criteria), or no OCS use.

RESULTS

We identified 435,675 patients, of whom 65% used OCS and 19% were classified as high OCS users at some point during follow-up. The annual prevalence of high OCS use ranged from 5.3% in 2013 to 7.6% in 2017. During the entire follow-up, high and low OCS users filled an average of 2.2 and 0.8 OCS prescriptions and received an average daily dosage of 2.2 and 0.3 mg, respectively. Once the patients became high OCS users, the average daily OCS dosage was relatively stable (5.1-7.1 mg) over 3 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with persistent asthma in the US have substantial exposure to OCS. OCS therapy should be considered carefully to avoid associated adverse effects.

Residential instability, neighborhood deprivation, and pediatric asthma outcomes

INTRODUCTION

Limited work has directly compared the role of different neighborhood factors or examined their interactive effects on pediatric asthma outcomes. Our objective was to quantify the main and interactive effects of neighborhood deprivation and residential instability (RI) on pediatric asthma outcomes.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients with a primary diagnosis of asthma hospitalized at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. Residential addresses at the index hospitalization were linked to the state area deprivation index (ADI). RI was coded as the number of residences in the past 4 years. Logistic and ordinal regression and Cox regression survival analyses were used to estimate the effect on the primary outcomes of chronic asthma severity (intermittent, mild persistent, moderate persistent, severe persistent/other) as defined by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, severe hospitalization (requiring continuous albuterol or intensive care unit care), and time to emergency department (ED) readmission and rehospitalization within 365 days of the index visit, respectively.

RESULTS

In the sample (N = 664), 21% had severe persistent/other asthma, 22% had severe hospitalization, 37% were readmitted to the ED, and 19% were rehospitalized. Increasing RI was independently associated with more severe chronic asthma (odds ratio = 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.05, 1.32, P = .004), greater risk of 365-day ED readmission (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.05, 1.15, P < .0001), and greater risk of 365-day rehospitalization (HR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.03, 1.14, P = .002). There were no significant associations between ADI and these outcomes. Further, we did not find significant evidence of interactive effects.

CONCLUSIONS

RI appears to be modestly associated with pediatric asthma outcomes, independent of current neighborhood deprivation.

Systematic Literature Review of Systemic Corticosteroid Use for Asthma Management

Systemic corticosteroid use to manage uncontrolled asthma and its associated healthcare burden may account for important health-related adverse effects. We conducted a systematic literature review to investigate the real-world extent and burden of systemic corticosteroid use in asthma. We searched MEDLINE and Embase databases to identify English-language articles published in 2010–2017, using search terms for asthma with keywords for oral corticosteroids and systemic corticosteroids. Observational studies, prescription database analyses, economic analyses, and surveys on oral/systemic corticosteroid use in children (>5 yr old), adolescents (12–17 yr old), and adults with asthma were included. We identified and reviewed 387 full-text articles, and our review included data from 139 studies. The included studies were conducted in Europe, North America, and Asia. Overall, oral/systemic corticosteroids were commonly used for asthma management and were more frequently used in patients with severe asthma than in those with milder disease. Long-term oral/systemic corticosteroid use was, in general, less frequent than short-term use. Compared with no use, long-term and repeated short-term oral/systemic corticosteroid use were associated with an increased risk of acute and chronic adverse events, even when doses were comparatively low. Greater oral/systemic corticosteroid exposure was also associated with increased costs and healthcare resource use. This review provides a comprehensive overview of oral/systemic corticosteroid use and associated adverse events for patients with all degrees of asthma severity and exposure duration. We report that oral/systemic corticosteroid use is prevalent in asthma management, and the risks of acute and chronic complications increase with the cumulative oral corticosteroid dosage.

High oral corticosteroid exposure and overuse of short-acting beta-2-agonists were associated with insufficient prescribing of controller medication: a nationwide electronic prescribing and dispensing database analysis

Background

Recurrent use of oral corticosteroids (OCS) and over-use of short-acting beta-2-agonists (SABA) are factors associated with adverse side effects and asthma-related death. We aim to quantify high OCS exposure, SABA over-use and its association with prescription and adherence to maintenance treatment for respiratory disease, among patients with prescriptions for respiratory disease, from the Portuguese electronic prescription and dispensing database (BDNP).

Methods

This was a 1-year (2016) retrospective population-based analysis of a random sample of adult patients from the BDNP, the nationwide compulsory medication prescription system. We assessed high OCS exposure (dispensing ≥ 4 packages containing 20 doses of 20 mg each of prednisolone-equivalent, ≥ 1600 mg/year) on patients on persistent respiratory treatment (PRT-prescription for > 2 packages of any respiratory maintenance medications). Excessive use of SABA was defined as having a ratio of SABA-to-maintenance treatment > 1 or having SABA over-use (dispensing of > 1 × 200 dose canister/month, of 100 μg of salbutamol-equivalent). Factors associated with high OCS exposure were assessed by multinomial logistic regression.

Results

The estimated number of patients on PRT was 4786/100,000 patients. OCS was prescribed to more than 1/5 of the patients on PRT and 101/100,000 were exposed to a high-dose (≥ 1600 mg/year). SABA excessive use was found in 144/100,000 patients and SABA over-use in 24/100,000. About 1/6 of SABA over-users were not prescribed any controller medication and 7% of them had a ratio maintenance-to-total ≥ 70% (high prescription of maintenance treatment). Primary adherence (median%) to controller medication was 66.7% for PRT patients, 59.6% for patients exposed to high OCS dose and 75.0% for SABA over-users. High OCS exposure or SABA over-use were not associated with primary adherence. High OCS exposure was associated with a maintenance-to-total medication ratio < 70% (insufficient prescription of maintenance treatment), age > 45 years old and male sex.

Conclusions

Exposure to high-dose of OCS (101 per 100,000 patients) and SABA over-use (24 per 100,000) were frequent, and were associated with a low maintenance-to-total prescription ratio but not with primary non-adherence. These results suggest there is a need for initiatives to reduce OCS and SABA inappropriate prescribing.

Predictors of Hospital Reuse Among Publicly Insured Children Hospitalized for Status Asthmaticus

BACKGROUND

Asthma is a common cause of pediatric hospitalization. Nonadherence to asthma medications is associated with worse outcomes; however, there is a paucity of data regarding posthospitalization prescription filling and hospital reuse. Our objective was to identify patients at risk for hospital reuse after being hospitalized for asthma.

METHODS

This is a retrospective study of patients with asthma who were discharged from a children's hospital in which we use Medicaid claims data to evaluate prescription fills within 30 days and 12 months. Chart reviews were used for demographics, chronic asthma severity, admission severity, and hospital reuse. t and χ² tests were performed for continuous and categorical variables. A generalized linear mixed model was fitted to predict the odds of hospital reuse, which was defined as requiring an emergency department visit or rehospitalization. Survival analysis using log-rank testing was used for modeling the time to hospital reuse.

RESULTS

Fifty-four percent of patients discharged with asthma had hospital reuse within 1 year of discharge. There was no association between hospital reuse and prescription filling for systemic steroids (odds ratio [OR] 1.30; confidence interval [CI]: 0.85-2.00; P = .21) or controller medications (OR 1.5; CI: 0.92-2.52; P = .10). There was a higher number of controller and systemic steroid prescription fills over 12 months for patients with hospital reuse. The factors associated with greater odds of hospital reuse were severity of chronic asthma diagnosis (P = .03) as well as African American race (OR 1.92; CI: 1.17-3.13; P = .01).

CONCLUSIONS

For Medicaid-insured patients discharged with asthma, worse chronic asthma severity and African American race were associated with greater odds of hospital reuse. Decreased prescription filling was not associated with greater odds of hospital reuse.

Monitoring long-term oral corticosteroids

Corticosteroids are synthetic analogues of human hormones normally produced by the adrenal cortex. They have both glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid properties. The glucocortoid components are anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, anti-proliferative and vasoconstrictive. They influence the metabolism of carbohydrate and protein, in addition to playing a key role in the body's stress response. Mineralocorticoid's main significance is in the balance of salt and water concentrations. Due to the combination of these effects, corticosteroids can cause many adverse effects. Oral corticosteroids are absorbed systemically and are therefore more likely to cause adverse effects than topical or inhaled corticosteroids. Furthermore, it is assumed that greater duration of treatment will lead to a greater number of adverse effects, and therefore the most at risk group are those taking high dose, long-term oral corticosteroids (LTOC). High dose is defined as a prescription of >5 mg oral prednisolone and long term as duration of treatment >1 month (based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance for patient's 'at risk' of systemic side effects). Parameters to be monitored in primary care include weight, blood pressure, triglycerides, glucose and urea and electrolytes. From clinical experience within the general practice setting, the authors propose that these patients do not receive adequate baseline monitoring before starting corticosteroids nor are these markers monitored consistently thereafter. This project intended to evidence this claim, evaluate the adverse effect profile and improve monitoring in this patient group. The initial audit of 22 patients, within a single general practice, detected at least one documented adverse effect in 64% of patients, while 41% reported more than one adverse effect. 45% had recorded weight gain, 18% had recorded osteoporosis, 18% had at least one recorded cataract, 14% had recorded Hypertension, 14% had recorded diabetes mellitus, 9% had recorded dyspepsia and 5% had a recorded psychiatric complaint. All of these recorded conditions were either directly attributed to steroid medication or occurred since LTOC were prescribed. The aim of this project was to increase the percentage of patients on LTOC with complete baseline monitoring to 100%. 'Baseline monitoring' was defined as a measurement taken within the previous 5 years. Although somewhat arbitrary, 5 years was felt to be the maximum timeframe in which monitoring would still be relevant for comparison following introduction of LTOC. Quality improvement methodology was used throughout this project with multiple PDSA (Plan, Study, Do and Act) cycles. Through this, a monitoring system and protocol for patients taking LTOC was developed. As a result of this project, five adverse effects were detected in five different patients. These included two cases of secondary hypertension, one case of diabetes mellitus, one cataract and one case of adrenal insufficiency. 12 out of 20 patients achieved complete baseline monitoring. While this study did not fully achieve its aim, the aim was deliberately ambitious. As not all patients in this study attended for monitoring, a figure of 100% was impossible to achieve. The remaining 'incompletely monitored patients' had some but not all parameters measured. The creation of a staff protocol and increased clinical experience will ensure that complete monitoring takes place in the future. In conclusion, this project has shown that adverse effects from LTOC are prevalent in a single general practice population. It is also shown that monitoring for LTOC adverse effects is inadequate but can be improved relatively easily as skills and competencies from other medication monitoring systems already exist within healthcare settings and are immediately transferable.

Persistence with inhaled corticosteroids reduces the risk of exacerbation among adults with asthma: A real-world investigation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Real-world evidence suggests that persistence with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), the mainstay of asthma drug therapy, is generally poor. The effect of persistence with ICS on the risk of asthma exacerbation was addressed in a population-based study.

METHODS

The cohort of 2335 beneficiaries of the National Health Service provided by the Italian Region of Lombardy, aged 18-40 years and newly treated with ICS during 2005-2008, was followed from their first ICS dispensation until 2010. Discontinuation of treatment with ICS and starting oral corticosteroid therapy during follow-up were respectively regarded as proxies of poor persistence with asthma medication and asthma exacerbation (outcomes). A proportional hazards model was fitted to identify predictors of ICS discontinuation. Case-crossover and case-case-time-control designs and conditional logistic regressions were used to estimate the association between persistence with ICS and asthma exacerbation.

RESULTS

Cumulative incidences of discontinuation were 36%, 57% and 78% at 6 months, 1 year and 5 years, respectively. Predictors of poor persistence were female gender, use of antibiotics during follow-up, absence of use of short-acting beta-agonists prior to and after starting treatment with ICS and starting and maintaining ICS monotherapy during follow-up. The odds ratios of asthma exacerbation (and 95% confidence intervals) associated with ICS exposure during the current period, contrasted with exposure during the reference period, were 0.4 (0.2, 0.9) and 0.3 (0.1, 1.0) from case-crossover and case-case-time-control estimates, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Persistence with ICS treatment in adults with asthma reduces the risk of exacerbation in the real-life setting.

Identifying patients with asthma in primary care electronic medical record systems Chart analysis-based electronic algorithm validation study

OBJECTIVE

To develop and test a variety of electronic medical record (EMR) search algorithms to allow clinicians to accurately identify their patients with asthma in order to enable improved care.

DESIGN

A retrospective chart analysis identified 5 relevant unique EMR information fields (electronic disease registry, cumulative patient profile, billing diagnostic code, medications, and chart notes); asthma-related search terms were designated for each field. The accuracy of each term was tested for its ability to identify the asthma patients among all patients whose charts were reviewed. Increasingly sophisticated search algorithms were then designed and evaluated by serially combining individual searches with Boolean operators.

SETTING

Two large academic primary care clinics in Hamilton, Ont.

PARTICIPANTS

Charts for 600 randomly selected patients aged 16 years and older identified in an initial EMR search as likely having asthma (n = 150), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 150), other respiratory conditions (n = 150), or nonrespiratory conditions (n = 150) were reviewed until 100 patients per category were identified (or until all available names were exhausted). A total of 398 charts were reviewed in full and included.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Sensitivity and specificity of each search for asthma diagnosis (against the reference standard of a physician chart review-based diagnosis).

RESULTS

Two physicians reviewed the charts identified in the initial EMR search using a standardized data collection form and ascribed the following diagnoses in 398 patients: 112 (28.1%) had asthma, 81 (20.4%) had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 104 (26.1%) had other respiratory conditions, and 101 (25.4%) had nonrespiratory conditions. Concordance between reviewers in chart abstraction diagnosis was high (κ = 0.89, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.97). Overall, the algorithm searching for patients who had asthma in their cumulative patient profiles or for whom an asthma billing code had been used was the most accurate (sensitivity of 90.2%, 95% CI 87.3% to 93.1%; specificity of 83.9%, 95% CI 80.3% to 87.5%).

CONCLUSION

Usable, practical search algorithms that accurately identify patients with asthma in existing EMRs are presented. Clinicians can apply 1 of these algorithms to generate asthma registries for targeted quality improvement initiatives and outcome measurements. This methodology can be emulated for other diseases.

Extension of GWAS results for lipid-related phenotypes to extreme obesity using electronic health record (EHR) data and the Metabochip

A variety of health-related data are commonly deposited into electronic health records (EHRs), including laboratory, diagnostic, and medication information. The digital nature of EHR data facilitates efficient extraction of these data for research studies, including genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Previous GWAS have identified numerous SNPs associated with variation in total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TG). These findings have led to the development of specialized genotyping platforms that can be used for fine-mapping and replication in other populations. We have combined the efficiency of EHR data and the economic advantages of the Illumina Metabochip, a custom designed SNP chip targeted to traits related to coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, and type 2 diabetes, to conduct an array-wide analysis of lipid traits in a population with extreme obesity. Our analyses identified associations with 12 of 21 previously identified lipid-associated SNPs with effect sizes similar to prior results. Association analysis using several approaches to account for lipid-lowering medication use resulted in fewer and less strongly associated SNPs. The availability of phenotype data from the EHR and the economic efficiency of the specialized Metabochip can be exploited to conduct multi-faceted genetic association analyses.