The Effect of Inhaled Corticosteroids on Pneumonia Risk in Patients With COPD-Bronchiectasis Overlap: A UK Population-Based Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) increase the risk of pneumonia in COPD and commonly are used in patients with COPD-bronchiectasis overlap.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Is the risk of pneumonia associated with ICS further heightened in COPD-bronchiectasis?

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Electronic health care records (from 2004-2019) were used to obtain a cohort of patients with COPD and a nested case-control group (age and sex matched 1:4). Analyses were conducted to determine the risk of hospitalization for pneumonia in COPD associated with ICS use in those with bronchiectasis. Findings were confirmed by several sensitivity analyses. Additionally, a smaller nested case-control group containing only patients with COPD-bronchiectasis overlap and those with recent blood eosinophil counts (BECs) was used to determine any association with BEC.

RESULTS: Three hundred sixteen thousand six hundred sixty-three patients were eligible for the COPD cohort; bronchiectasis significantly increased the risk of pneumonia (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.15-1.33). In the first nested case-control group of 84,316 patients with COPD, ICS was found to increase the odds of pneumonia (adjusted OR [AOR], 1.26; 95% CI, 1.19-1.32) only if used in the previous 180 days. However, bronchiectasis was a significant modifier such that ICS use did not augment further the already elevated bronchiectasis-associated pneumonia risk (COPD-bronchiectasis: AOR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.8-1.28; no bronchiectasis: AOR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.20-1.34). Several sensitivity analyses and a second smaller nested case-control group confirmed these findings. Finally, we found that BEC modified the ICS-associated pneumonia risk in COPD-bronchiectasis overlap, where lower BEC was associated significantly with pneumonia (BEC ≤ 3 × 109 /L: AOR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.05-2.31; BEC > 3 × 109 /L: AOR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.53-1.24).

INTERPRETATION: ICS use does not augment further the already increased risk of hospitalization for pneumonia associated with concomitant bronchiectasis in patients with COPD.