International Journal of COPD (Sep 2020)

Comparison of the Clinical Outcomes Between Nebulized and Systemic Corticosteroids in the Treatment of Acute Exacerbation of COPD in China (CONTAIN Study): A Post Hoc Analysis

  • Chen Y,
  • Liu Y,
  • Zhang J,
  • Yao W,
  • Yang J,
  • Li F,
  • Lu L,
  • Zheng J,
  • Han X,
  • Xu J

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 15
pp. 2343 – 2353

Abstract

Read online

Yahong Chen1 ,* Yang Liu2 ,* Jing Zhang1 ,* Wanzhen Yao,1 Jingping Yang,3 Fan Li,4 Liwen Lu,5 Jinping Zheng,6 Xiaowen Han,7 Jin-fu Xu2 1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Baogang Hospital, Third Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical College, Third School of Clinical Medicine, Inner Mongolia Regional Medical Center, Baotou, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Songjiang District Central Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Fengxian District Central Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 6State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hebei Provincial People’s Hospital, Shijiazhuang, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jin-fu Xu Email [email protected] and Objective: Although corticosteroids have been widely used in the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD), few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of nebulized corticosteroids (NCS), systemic corticosteroids (SCS), and NCS plus SCS in the management of AECOPD in China. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of NCS, SCS, and NCS plus SCS in Chinese patients with AECOPD.Patients and Methods: This was a real-world study of AECOPD patients at 43 sites from January to September 2014. During hospitalization, patients treated with nebulized budesonide (NCS group, n=1091), SCS (SCS group, n=709), or both (NCS+SCS group, n=1846) were included. Propensity score matching (PSM) and subgroup analyses were performed. The primary outcomes were the length of hospital stay, mortality, and change in arterial blood gases from baseline.Results: Multivariable analysis showed that the three treatments at the same severity of AECOPD were not significantly different regarding intubation rates, rates of pneumonia improvement at discharge, rates of new-onset pneumonia in hospital, and mortality. Following PSM, NCS+SCS was associated with greater length of hospital stay than both NCS and SCS (in patients without respiratory failure [RF, P< 0.001] and with type I RF [P=0.022]), and more hospitalization costs than the other two treatments (in patients without RF [P< 0.001]).Conclusion: NCS is effective for patients with AECOPD, which may be an alternative treatment option. Further clinical trials are urgently needed to better understand the efficacy of NCS, SCS, and NCS+SCS in AECOPD management in China.Keywords: acute exacerbation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, clinical outcomes, corticosteroids

Keywords