Sensitivity analyses
Both of the sensitivity analyses showed the same tendencies as the main
analyses: a stable proportion of OCS users throughout the study period,
tough with an overall slight increase from 1999-2018, as well as
decreasing proportions of high-users (i.e. use of ≥5 mg per day).
When restricting OCS-utilization analyses to include only years with
concurrent fills for other asthma medication, the annual prevalence of
OCS users was 5.8% (median, IQR 5.7%-5.9%), with 0.79% of the total
cohort classified as high-users in 1999 and 0.56% in 2018.
When allowing up to five successive years of no asthma medication
prescription fills before being censored, the annual prevalence of OCS
users was 3.8% (median, IQR 3.7%-3.9%) with 0.36% and 0.26% of the
total cohort classified as high-users in 1999 and 2018, respectively.