Characteristics of the RA cohort of incident statin users (N=4102)
| Characteristic | ||
|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 66.6±10.4 | |
| Women | 2460 (60) | |
| RA characteristics | ||
| RA duration at index date (months), mean (SD) | 19.0±25.5 | |
| Rate of RA-related medical visits (visits/person year follow-up), mean (SD) | 2.5±6.7 | |
| RA-related orthopaedic procedures (over follow-up) | 621 (15.1) | |
| Use of RA prescription medications (over follow-up) | ||
| Traditional NSAIDs | 2364 (57.6) | |
| COX-2-selective NSAIDs | 1347 (32.8) | |
| Glucocorticosteroids | 1723 (42.0) | |
| Co-morbid medical conditions | ||
| Prior acute myocardial infarction* | 441 (10.8) | |
| Prior cerebrovascular accident* | 117 (2.9) | |
| Use of anti-hypertension medication†¶ | 2528 (61.6) | |
| Use of congestive heart failure medication†‡ | 1344 (32.8) | |
| Angina† | 903 (22.0) | |
| Diabetes† | 730 (17.8) | |
| Use of anti-arrhythmia medication†§ | 94 (2.3) | |
| Charlson comorbidity score†, mean (SD) | 1.0±1.3 | |
| Other medications affecting cardiovascular risk | ||
| Use of hormone replacement therapy† | 506 (12.3) | |
| Use of anticoagulants† | 266 (6.5) | |
Values represent the number (percentage) of cases unless otherwise indicated.
↵* Evaluated prior to start of follow-up (index date) since 1990 (earliest available data).
↵† Evaluated over 1 year preceding start of follow-up (index date).
↵‡ Congestive heart failure medications included cardiac glycosides or diuretics.
↵§ Anti-arrhythmia medications included: adenosine, amiodarone, disopyramide, flecainide, lidocaine, mexitelene, procainamide, propafenone, digoxin or quinidine.
↵¶ Anti-hypertension medications included: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, β-blockers, calcium channel blocking agents, angiotensin II receptor antagonists, α-adrenergic blocking agents or central α-agonists.
COX-2, cyclooxygenase-2; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; RA, rheumatoid arthritis.