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Deaths related to long-acting β-agonist use for asthma have been reported in case studies and clinical trials. Researchers performed a meta-analysis to confirm and quantify these rare events by combining the results of 19 randomized, placebo-controlled trials of long-acting β-agonists that involved 33,826 children and adults.
Long-acting β-agonists were significantly associated with asthma hospitalizations (odds ratio, 2.6; absolute risk increase attributable to the drugs, 0.7%), life-threatening asthma exacerbations (OR, 1.8; absolute risk increase, 0.1%), and asthma-related deaths (OR, 3.5; absolute risk increase, 0.1%). Hospitalization results were similar when the analysis was restricted to studies in which most participants also receive…