Purpose: Many patients with asthma still have insufficient disease control, despite the availability of effective treatment options. A substantial proportion of patients appear to rely more on short-acting beta₂-agonist (SABA) rather than on anti-inflammatory maintenance treatment. The aim of this study was to describe differences in indicators of asthma symptoms and exacerbations among patients using more or less SABA than the guideline-recommended threshold of < 3 times/week.
Patients and Methods: Data from Dutch respondents in the European REcognise Asthma and LInk to Symptoms and Experience (REALISE) survey were used in this post hoc analysis. The survey included asthma patients aged 18– 50 years with at least two prescriptions for their asthma in the past two years. SABA use was categorized into two groups: < 3 (low-SABA users) or ≥ 3 (high-SABA users) times in the last week.
Results: Of the 736 asthma patients, 21% did not use SABA and 19% used SABA 1 to 2 times (all low SABA users) and 60% used SABA ≥ 3 times (high SABA users) in the last week. The majority of high and low SABA users also reported using an ICS-containing treatment. Significant differences were found for all indicators related to exacerbations (p< 0.001): high SABA users more frequently used antibiotics and oral steroids, more frequently visited the emergency departments or needed an overnight hospital stay. Indicators of asthma symptoms were not significantly different between both groups.
Conclusion: The majority of a Dutch asthmatic population reported high SABA use and had frequent moderate/severe exacerbations. More effective interventions are needed to change healthcare providers’ and patients’ behaviours to improve care and reduce SABA (over)use.

Keywords: asthma, short acting beta2-agonist, SABA, primary health care, adverse effects, guidelines


中文翻译：

---

SABA 的大量使用与荷兰哮喘患者的较高恶化率相关

目的：尽管有有效的治疗选择，但许多哮喘患者的疾病控制仍然不足。相当大比例的患者似乎更多地依赖短效_β2-激动剂（SABA）而不是抗炎维持治疗。本研究的目的是描述使用更多或更少 SABA 的患者哮喘症状和恶化指标的差异，而不是指南推荐的阈值 < 3 次/周。
患者和方法：在这项事后分析中使用了来自欧洲的荷兰受访者承认哮喘和症状与体验 (REALISE) 调查的数据。该调查包括 18 至 50 岁的哮喘患者，在过去两年中至少有过两次哮喘处方。SABA 使用分为两组：上周 < 3（低 SABA 用户）或 ≥ 3（高 SABA 用户）次。
结果：在 736 名哮喘患者中，21% 未使用 SABA，19% 使用 SABA 1 至 2 次（所有低 SABA 用户），60% 使用 SABA ≥ 3 次（高 SABA 用户）。大多数高和低 SABA 用户也报告使用含 ICS 的治疗。与恶化相关的所有指标均存在显着差异（p<0.001）：高 SABA 使用者更频繁地使用抗生素和口服类固醇，更频繁地去急诊室或需要住院过夜。两组哮喘症状指标无显着差异。
结论：大多数荷兰哮喘患者报告了高 SABA 的使用，并且经常出现中度/重度恶化。需要更有效的干预措施来改变医疗保健提供者和患者的行为，以改善护理并减少 SABA（过度）使用。

关键词：哮喘，短效β2受体激动剂，SABA，初级卫生保健，不良反应，指南