Effect of Pregnancy on Quantitative Medication Use and Relation to Exacerbations in Asthma

Table 9

General linear mixed models to estimate medication pattern variables over the study period to predict asthma exacerbation in Group 4.

Outcome variable	Explanatory variable	Estimate	Standard Error	DF	-value	P value	95% CI
							Lower	Upper
Systemic corticosteroid prescription	Intercept	−3.8531	0.02787	109000	−138.25	<0.0001	−3.9077	−3.7985
		0.002234	0.000959	109000	2.33	0.0198	0.00035	0.00411
		0.01219	0.000543	109000	22.46	<0.0001	0.01113	0.01325
		0.00531	0.000797	109000	6.66	<0.0001	0.00375	0.00687
		−0.00004	0.000011	109000	−3.24	0.0012	−0.00006	−0.00002
		−0.00004	0.000022	109000	−1.94	0.0518	−0.00008	0.000003
Hospitalization	Intercept	−5.8122	0.05791	109000	−100.36	<0.0001	−5.9257	−5.6987
		−0.00116	0.002169	109000	−0.53	0.5938	−0.0054	0.00309
		0.01468	0.000772	109000	19.02	<0.0001	0.01317	0.01619
		0.01139	0.001043	109000	10.92	<0.0001	0.00935	0.01343
		0.000105	0.000023	109000	4.52	<0.0001	0.00006	0.00015
		−0.00003	0.000012	109000	−2.27	0.0235	−0.00005	−0.000006
		−0.00006	0.000032	109000	−1.91	0.0559	−0.0001	0.000003
ED visit	Intercept	−7.1008	0.1013	109000	−70.07	<0.0001	−7.2993	−6.9023
		0.000814	0.003466	109000	0.23	0.8143	−0.006	0.00761
		0.01465	0.001053	109000	13.91	<0.0001	0.01259	0.01671
		0.01126	0.001493	109000	7.55	<0.0001	0.00833	0.01419
		0.000139	0.000034	109000	4.14	<0.0001	0.00007	0.00021
		−0.00009	0.00005	109000	−1.7	0.0886	−0.0002	0.000008
Overall exacerbation	Intercept	−3.6883	0.02589	109000	−142.48	<0.0001	−3.739	−3.6376
		0.001349	0.000952	109000	1.42	0.1567	−0.0005	0.00321
		0.0128	0.000466	109000	27.5	<0.0001	0.01189	0.01371
		0.006794	0.000665	109000	10.21	<0.0001	0.00549	0.0081
		0.000046	0.000015	109000	3.09	0.002	0.000017	0.000075
		−0.00003	0.000008	109000	−3.36	0.0008	−0.00005	−0.00001
		−0.00005	0.000019	109000	−2.74	0.0062	−0.00009	−0.00001
Ventolin nebulizer treatment	Intercept	−6.5181	0.1807	109000	−36.07	<0.0001	−6.8723	−6.1639
		−0.01108	0.008464	109000	−1.31	0.1903	−0.0277	0.00551
		0.009296	0.004475	109000	2.08	0.0378	0.00053	0.01807

, total use of asthma medications before pregnancy; , total use of asthma medications during pregnancy; , total use of asthma medications after delivery; ED, emergency department; DF, degree of freedom; CI, confidence interval.