Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40491263›Full record

SynthesisAllergy2025

Adverse Outcomes Associated With Short-Acting Beta-Agonist Overuse in Asthma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Chia-Ling Tsao, Shu-Yen Chan, Meng-Hsun Lee, Tina Yi Jin Hsieh, Wanda Phipatanakul, Hana B Ruran, Kevin Sheng-Kai Ma

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Allergy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Chia-Ling TsaoCenter for Global Health, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Shu-Yen ChanDepartment of Internal Medicine, Weiss Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Meng-Hsun LeeDepartment of Internal Medicine, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA.
Tina Yi Jin HsiehDepartment of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Wanda PhipatanakulDivision of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Hana B RuranDivision of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Kevin Sheng-Kai MaCenter for Global Health, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9394-4144

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe 2019 Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) report no longer recommended short-acting beta-agonists (SABA) monotherapy due to associated complications and a lack of anti-inflammatory properties. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate adverse outcomes associated with SABA overuse in patients with asthma.

methodsPubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases were searched for studies on SABA overuse (≥ 3 SABA canisters/year) in patients with asthma, from 1981 to November 2023. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, and cross-sectional studies were included. Pooled risk ratios (RRs) were calculated for dichotomous measures of all-cause mortality and acute exacerbations using random-effects models and Mantel-Haenszel weighting. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on study design.

resultsOut of 626 records, 27 studies (2 RCTs, 1 prospective cohort study, 12 retrospective cohort studies, and 12 cross-sectional studies) were included. SABA overuse (≥ 3 SABA canisters/year) was associated with significantly higher mortality (2743 of 130,629 in the overuse group versus 3534 of 300,451 in controls; RR = 2.04, 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.37-3.04; p < 0.001) and a significantly higher rate of acute exacerbations (60,320 of 165,271 in the overuse group versus 84,439 of 376,845 in controls; RR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.24-3.03; p < 0.001). An increased risk of acute exacerbations was observed in retrospective cohort studies (RR = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.43-2.47; p < 0.001) and cross-sectional studies (RR = 2.23, 95% CI = 1.04-4.77; p < 0.001).

conclusionsSABA overuse was associated with increased rates of mortality and acute exacerbations in patients with asthma, supporting guidelines that advise against SABA monotherapy in asthma management.

Indexed as

Adrenergic beta-AgonistsAnti-Asthmatic AgentsAsthmaHumansAdrenergic beta-AgonistsAnti-Asthmatic Agentsasthmaasthma treatmentclinical immunology

Identifiers

PMID40491263
PMCPMC12186600

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.