Table 1 Baseline characteristics of study population of new users and non-users of statins
| Â | Exposed (new users) | Unexposed |
|---|---|---|
Baseline characteristics | n (%) | n (%) |
All patients (n = 2,016,094) | 430,890 (21.37) | 1,585,204 (78.63) |
Gender | Â | Â |
Male | 231,732 (53.78) | 835,053 (52.68) |
Female | 199,158 (46.22) | 750,151 (47.32) |
Age mean (sd), yrs | 63.77 (10.81) | 61.86 (11.27) |
30-39 | 7,584 (1.76) | 37,221 (2.35) |
40-49 | 37,386 (8.68) | 183,876 (11.60) |
50-59 | 100,079 (23.23) | 455,649 (28.74) |
60-69 | 146,431 (33.98) | 490,132 (30.92) |
70-79 | 109,894 (25.50) | 311,974 (19.68) |
80-85 | 29,516 (6.85) | 106,352 (6.71) |
BMI, kg/m 2 | Â | Â |
<20 | 11,223 (2.60) | 65,496 (4.13) |
20-25 | 107,711 (25.00) | 457,240 (28.84) |
>25 | 290,876 (67.51) | 831,395 (52.45) |
Unknown | 21,080 (4.89) | 231,073 (14.58) |
Smoking status | Â | Â |
Current smokers | 90,670 (21.04) | 266,333 (16.80) |
Former smoker | 163,576 (37.96) | 532,087 (33.57) |
Non-smoker/never | 175,360 (40.70) | 706,908 (44.59) |
Unknown status | 1,284 (0.30) | 79,876 (5.04) |
Alcohol use | Â | Â |
Current (unknown amount) | 21,009 (4.88) | 43,762 (2.76) |
Rare drinker (<2u/d) | 63,213 (14.67) | 229,758 (14.49) |
Moderate drinker (3-6u/d) | 223,242 (51.81) | 757,940 (47.81) |
Excessive drinker (>6u/d) | 40,912 (9.49) | 135,790 (8.57) |
Past use | 8,130 (1.89) | 40,337 (2.54) |
Non-drinker | 53,566 (12.43) | 161,639 (10.20) |
Unknown status | 20,818 (4.83) | 215,978 (13.62) |
Family history of: | Â | Â |
Diabetes | 17,914 (4.16) | 55,962 (3.53) |
Cardiovascular disease | 113,104 (26.25) | 307,406 (19.39) |
Diagnosis of: | Â | Â |
Hyperlipidaemia | 29,140 (6.76) | 30,277 (1.91) |
Atherosclerosis | 1,664 (0.39) | 2,175 (0.14) |
Hypertension | 176,946 (41.07) | 352,371 (22.23) |
Heart failure | 10,448 (2.42) | 20,160 (1.27) |
Cardiovascular disease | 98,739 (22.92) | 101,666 (6.41) |
Atrial fibrillation | 17,907 (4.16) | 36,005 (2.27) |
Hepatic disease (within 6Â months) | 1,808 (0.42) | 5,736 (0.36) |
Kidney disease (within 6Â months) | 13,813 (3.21) | 27,352 (1.73) |
Abnormal glucose level | 6,076 (1.41) | 11,757 (0.74) |
Osteoporosis | 13,047 (3.03) | 45,262 (2.86) |
Cancer | 42,929 (9.96) | 159,664 (10.07) |
Thyroid disease | 34,863 (8.09) | 105,555 (6.66) |
Prior use of: | Â | Â |
Antipsychotics (within 6Â months) | 252 ( 0.06) | 1,317 (0.08) |
Antidepressants (within 6Â months) | 5,876 (1.36) | 15,495 (0.98) |
Cardiovascular drugs | 124,687 (28.94) | 608,423 (38.38) |
Nonstatin lipid lowerers (within 3Â months) | 894 (0.21) | 336 (0.02) |
Systemic glucocorticoids (within 6Â months) | 5,617 (1.30) | 14,354 (0.91) |
Oestrogens/HRT (within 1Â year) | 3,222 (0.75) | 6,265 (0.40) |
Bisphosphonates (within 1Â year) | 2,310 (0.54) | 10,154 (0.64) |
CYP450 3A4 inhibitor | 6,962 (1.62) | 13,363 (0.84) |
Annual consultation rate, mean (SD) | 25.99 (18.56) | 15.76 (17.42) |
Annual prescription rate, mean (SD) | 25.80 (31.69) | 8.34 (21.02) |