Extract
Nwaru et al. [1] report a dose-related association between short-acting β2-agonists (SABA) and poorer clinical outcomes (exacerbations, emergency department visits, hospital admissions and mortality) in asthma. Acknowledging that observational studies cannot establish causality, they conclude: “Regardless of whether there is a causal effect of SABA use and these adverse effects, or if they are mainly a marker for more severe asthma and/or a reflection of the frailty of the patients, increased use of SABA should alert clinicians to monitor these patients more closely.” These are important conclusions that should inform clinical care and be incorporated into international guidelines.
Abstract
Observational studies need explanations in both directions of association to avoid interpretation bias https://bit.ly/3d7kLnG
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: M.J. Johnson has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: M. Ekström has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: D.C. Currow is an unpaid member of an advisory board for Helsinn Pharmaceuticals, is a consultant to Specialised Therapeutics and Mayne Pharma and has received intellectual property payments from Mayne Pharma.
- Received May 7, 2020.
- Accepted May 20, 2020.
- Copyright ©ERS 2020