Abstract:
Background:
Asthma remains a significant global health concern, leading to substantial morbidity and
mortality despite advancements in treatment. Various pharmacological interventions,
including inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), long-acting beta-agonists (LABA), and short-acting
beta-agonists (SABA), are widely used to manage the condition. However, the effectiveness
of these treatments in reducing asthma-related mortality continues to be an area of extensive
research and debate. This study aims to assess the impact of asthma medications on mortality
rates.
Method:
This study analysed 2,240,628 patients who received asthma medications in New Zealand
from 2008 to 2021, using data from the Ministry of Health. Focusing on fluticasone with
salmeterol and budesonide with eformoterol, we employed Bayesian methods with the
Weibull distribution. Python were used for statistical modelling, estimating parameters
through posterior sampling and calculating highest density intervals to ensure robust and
reliable findings.
Result:
Patients on budesonide with eformoterol (B) had a higher shape parameter (alpha = 0.61) and
lower scale parameter (beta = -1.33) compared to those on fluticasone with salmeterol (F),
indicating different survival distributions. The Highest Density Intervals (HDIs) for these
differences were [ 0.17, 1.06] for alpha and [-2.07, -0.59] for beta. Additionally, significant
differences were observed in patients who transitioned medications, with a mean beta
difference of 6.16 (HDI [5.54, 6.78]) for those moving from F to B. These findings highlight the
varying impacts of asthma treatments on patient mortality, with transitions between
medications also influencing survival outcomes.
Conclusion:
Our study reveals significant differences in mortality outcomes based on asthma medication
types and transitions, with budesonide with eformoterol showing different survival patterns
compared to fluticasone with salmeterol. These findings underscore the need for tailored
asthma management strategies to improve patient survival.