ArticleRespiratory research2021
Prevalence of overuse of short-acting beta-2 agonists (SABA) and associated factors among patients with asthma in Germany.
Article in Respiratory research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 31 citations in OpenAlex.
- Adverse Outcomes Associated With Short-Acting Beta-Agonist Overuse in Asthma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Allergy · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Reducing short-acting beta-agonist overprescribing in general practice: Evaluation of a quality improvement programme in East London.The European journal of general practice · 2026Article
- Article
- Reconsidering the overuse of short-acting βERJ open research · 2025Article
- Evaluation of Medication Errors among Inpatients in a Tertiary Government Hospital's Pulmonary Medicine Service: A Cross-sectional Retrospective Study.Acta medica Philippina · 2025Article
- As-needed low-dose inhaled corticosteroid/formoterol therapy in patients with severe asthma included in the German Asthma Net cohort.ERJ open research · 2024Article
- Expert Consensus on SABA Use for Asthma Clinical Decision-Making: A Delphi Approach.Current allergy and asthma reports · 2023Review
- Evaluation of short-acting Beta-2-agonist prescriptions and associated clinical outcomes: Findings from the SABA use IN Asthma (SABINA) study in Asia.The World Allergy Organization journal · 2023Article
- Uncovering the Burden of Rhinitis in Patients Purchasing Nonprescription Short-Acting β-Agonist (SABA) in the Community.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Health Care Situation in the Treatment of Uncontrolled GINA Step 4/5 Patients in Germany.Journal of asthma and allergy · 2023Article
- Medication adherence in Medicare-enrolled older adults with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease before and during COVID-19 pandemic.Therapeutic advances in chronic disease · 2023Article
- Prevalence of Spirometry Testing among Patients with Asthma and COPD in German General Practices.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- The carbon footprint of respiratory treatments in Europe and Canada: an observational study from the CARBON programme.The European respiratory journal · 2022Observational
- Reducing short-acting beta-agonist overprescribing in asthma: lessons from a quality-improvement prescribing project in East London.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2022Article
- Is overreliance on short-acting βERJ open research · 2022Article
- Potential cellular endocrinology mechanisms underlying the effects of Chinese herbal medicine therapy on asthma.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022Review
- Prevalence of Patients with Uncontrolled Asthma Despite NVL/GINA Step 4/5 Treatment in Germany.Journal of asthma and allergy · 2022Article
- Short-acting beta-2 agonist prescription patterns and clinical outcomes in Chinese patients with asthma: an observational study in mainland China for the SABINA programme.Therapeutic advances in respiratory diseaseObservational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOveruse of short-acting beta-2 agonists (SABA), which do not treat the underlying inflammation of asthma, is linked to poor clinical outcomes such as increased exacerbation risk. This study, as part of the SABINA program, estimated the prevalence of SABA overuse and associated variables in outpatients in Germany.
methodsThis retrospective study used anonymized electronic healthcare data from the Disease Analyzer database (IQVIA). A total of 15,640 patients aged ≥ 12 years with asthma who received ≥ 1 SABA prescription(s) between July 2017 and June 2018 in 924 general physician and 22 pneumologist (PN) practices were included. SABA overuse was defined as ≥ 3 prescribed inhalers (~ 200 puffs each) during the study period. The associations between SABA overuse and physician specialty, Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) steps (based on asthma medications), age, sex, and inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)/long-acting beta agonist (LABA) use were estimated using multivariable regression for patients with probable moderate (GINA step 2) and probable severe (GINA steps 3-5) asthma.
resultsAnnually, 36% of all patients (GINA steps 1-5) in general and 38% in PN practices received ≥ 3 SABA inhalers. The risk of SABA overuse was 14% higher in patients treated by a general practitioner vs. a PN; 34% and 85% higher in GINA steps 4 and 5, respectively, vs. GINA step 3; and 40% higher in male vs. female patients.
conclusionsSABA overuse is prevalent among patients with asthma across all GINA steps in Germany, which may indicate suboptimal asthma control. Further studies are needed to investigate the reasons behind SABA overuse.
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