Table 4

Crude and adjusted rate ratios of serious pneumonia associated with current use and dose of the different ICS among patients with COPD

ICS exposure	Cases	Controls	Crude rate ratio	Adjusted* rate ratio	95% CI
Number of subjects	20 344	197 705
No use in the year prior to index date, %	46.47	61.15	1.00	1.00	Reference
Fluticasone
Current use,%†	24.53	12.24	2.79	2.01	1.93 to 2.10
Low dose‡	0.37	0.32	1.61	1.46	1.15 to 1.87
Medium dose	11.30	6.50	2.42	1.87	1.77 to 1.97
High dose	12.86	5.42	3.31	2.22	2.10 to 2.34
Budesonide
Current use, %	5.17	4.83	1.45	1.17	1.09 to 1.26
Low dose	0.33	0.37	1.21	1.05	0.81 to 1.36
Medium dose	2.65	2.42	1.49	1.23	1.12 to 1.35
High dose	2.18	2.03	1.45	1.13	1.02 to 1.26
Other ICS§
Current use,%	7.84	4.95	2.01	1.41	1.33 to 1.51
Low dose	2.41	2.03	1.49	1.20	1.09 to 1.33
Medium dose	2.33	1.35	2.21	1.52	1.37 to 1.69
High dose	3.10	1.56	2.53	1.57	1.43 to 1.73

*Adjusted for all of the factors listed in table 1.
†Current use refers to a prescription in the 60 days prior to the index date.
‡Current daily dose in fluticasone equivalents, in μg/day; high: 1000 or more; moderate: 500–999; low: less than 500.
§Beclomethasone, flunisolide or triamcinolone.
COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; ICS, inhaled corticosteroid.