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Albuterol and deaths from asthma in New Zealand from 1969 to 1976: A case‐control study
Author(s) -
Woodman Kate,
Pearce Neil,
Beasley Richard,
Burgess Carl,
Crane Julian
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.941
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1532-6535
pISSN - 0009-9236
DOI - 10.1038/clpt.1992.64
Subject(s) - fenoterol , asthma , confidence interval , medicine , odds ratio , bronchodilator , anesthesia , clinical pharmacology , pediatrics , pharmacology
It has been suggested that the association between inhaled fenoterol and deaths from asthma in New Zealand occurred because patients with unstable asthma were switched to fenoterol after its introduction in 1976. If so, a similar pattern might also have occurred after the introduction of albuterol (salbumatol) in 1969. This hypothesis has been investigated in a case‐control study of 17 deaths from asthma during the period from 1969 to 1976 in patients whose ages ranged from 5 to 45 years; as in a previous study in New Zealand, two control groups were used. The inhaled albuterol odds ratio was 0.88 (95% confidence interval, 0.29 to 2.62) using control group A and 1.40 (95% confidence interval, 0.48 to 4.09) using control group B. The major problem with this study is the very small number of cases, but the findings nevertheless indicate that albuterol was not associated with deaths from asthma after its introduction. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1992) 51 , 566–571; doi: 10.1038/clpt.1992.64