Opioid use disorder's impact on asthma hospitalizations: A propensity-matched nationwide study

Patients with asthma and opioid use disorder (OUD) experience higher rates of acute exacerbation, but the effects of OUD on asthma hospitalizations have been poorly described.

To explore how concurrent OUD may affect the clinical outcomes of adult patients hospitalized for asthma.

Using the National Inpatient Sample, adult patients admitted for asthma with concomitant OUD were identified and compared with those without OUD. Cohorts were matched in a 1:1 ratio using propensity score matching, with mortality as primary outcome of interest.

A total of 491,990 patients were hospitalized for asthma, and 3.49% had a concomitant diagnosis of OUD. Patients with asthma and OUD were younger, with a mean age of 41 years (SD ± 12.2) vs 51 years (SD ± 17.2) in those without OUD. After matching, both cohorts had 17,125 patients. There was no significant difference regarding in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR] 0.92, 95% CI 0.51-1.63, P = .77) between the cohorts. Patients with asthma with OUD had significantly higher rates of mechanical ventilation (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.23-1.87, P < .001), noninvasive mechanical ventilation (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.15-1.62, P < .001), and mean length of stay (3.18 vs 2.92 days, P < .001) compared with patients with asthma without OUD. Patients with OUD had no difference in mean total hospitalization costs ($33,514 vs $31,529, P = .054) compared with patients without OUD. Compared with a routine hospital discharge, patients with OUD were more likely to leave against medical advice (relative risk [RR] 2.67, 95% CI 2.28-3.13, P < .001), be discharged to a long-term facility (RR 1.40, 95% CI 1.01-1.95, P = .045), and be discharged with home health care (RR 1.56, 95% CI 1.22-1.99, P < .001) than patients without OUD.

Concomitant OUD has no impact on mortality in asthma hospitalizations, but patients with asthma with OUD have worse secondary outcomes compared with those without OUD.