TABLE 1.
Patient Demographics, Clinical Characteristics, Resource Utilization, and Health Care Costs
| Lower-Cost Patients (n = 5,739) | High-Cost Patients (n = 1,434) | P Valuea | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient demographicsb | |||||
| Age (year), mean (SD) | 49.1 | (9.8) | 50.6 | (9.1) | < 0.001c |
| Male, % (n) | 42.0 | (2,408) | 39.3 | (564) | 0.071 |
| Region, % (n) | |||||
| Northeast | 24.4 | (1,401) | 24.2 | (347) | 0.866 |
| Midwest | 23.6 | (1,353) | 26.1 | (374) | 0.047c |
| South | 38.1 | (2,188) | 34.0 | (487) | 0.004c |
| West | 9.5 | (543) | 9.5 | (136) | 0.979 |
| Unknown | 4.4 | (254) | 6.3 | (90) | 0.003c |
| Year of index date, % (n) | |||||
| 1999-2004 | 26.3 | (1,508) | 22.2 | (318) | 0.001c |
| 2005-2007 | 23.0 | (1,321) | 22.0 | (316) | 0.428 |
| 2008-2010 | 24.3 | (1,394) | 24.3 | (348) | 0.986 |
| 2011-2014 (Q1 only) | 26.4 | (1,516) | 31.5 | (452) | < 0.001c |
| CCI, mean (SD) | 0.7 | (1.2) | 1.8 | (2.1) | < 0.001c |
| Study period characteristicsd | |||||
| Number of sarcoidosis-related comorbidities,e mean (SD) | 2.7 | (1.9) | 4.4 | (2.4) | < 0.001c |
| Number of sarcoidosis-related comorbidities,e % (n) | |||||
| 0 | 11.4 | (655) | 3.3 | (48) | < 0.001c |
| 1-4 | 72.1 | (4,135) | 50.3 | (722) | < 0.001c |
| 5 or more | 16.5 | (949) | 46.3 | (664) | < 0.001c |
| Sarcoidosis-related comorbidities,e % (n) | |||||
| Bronchiectasis | 1.2 | (66) | 3.1 | (44) | < 0.001c |
| Cardiac arrhythmia | 9.2 | (529) | 28.5 | (408) | < 0.001c |
| Cataracts | 8.5 | (489) | 13.0 | (187) | < 0.001c |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 26.3 | (1,511) | 42.3 | (606) | < 0.001c |
| Deficiency anemia | 4.7 | (271) | 11.9 | (170) | < 0.001c |
| Depression | 10.6 | (607) | 21.1 | (303) | < 0.001c |
| Diabetes | 14.7 | (845) | 28.7 | (412) | < 0.001c |
| Epilepsy and recurrent seizures | 0.9 | (54) | 2.9 | (41) | < 0.001c |
| Erythema nodosum | 2.2 | (128) | 1.5 | (22) | 0.099 |
| Essential (primary) hypertension | 39.4 | (2,264) | 54.3 | (779) | < 0.001c |
| Hydrocephalus | 0.1 | (8) | 0.7 | (10) | < 0.001c |
| Hypercalcemia | 2.1 | (120) | 3.6 | (52) | < 0.001c |
| Hyperlipidemia | 40.4 | (2,317) | 46.0 | (659) | < 0.001c |
| Hypothyroidism | 13.9 | (795) | 20.2 | (289) | < 0.001c |
| Interstitial lung disease | 27.0 | (1,552) | 41.6 | (597) | < 0.001c |
| Leukocytopenia | 0.6 | (33) | 1.5 | (22) | < 0.001c |
| Malaise and fatigue | 20.9 | (1,201) | 34.5 | (495) | < 0.001c |
| Mild cognitive impairment | 0.2 | (9) | 0.1 | (2) | 1.000 |
| Myalgia and myositis | 9.3 | (532) | 15.6 | (224) | < 0.001c |
| Obesity | 6.2 | (354) | 12.6 | (180) | < 0.001c |
| Osteoporosis | 5.5 | (313) | 7.5 | (108) | 0.003c |
| Pain syndromes | 0.7 | (43) | 2.6 | (38) | < 0.001c |
| Pneumonia | 9.8 | (564) | 20.9 | (299) | < 0.001c |
| Pulmonary aspergillosis | 0.0 | (1) | 0.6 | (9) | < 0.001c |
| Small fiber neuropathy | 0.3 | (15) | 0.6 | (9) | 0.041c |
| Syncope | 3.7 | (211) | 10.4 | (149) | < 0.001c |
| Uveitis | 6.5 | (371) | 5.9 | (85) | 0.456 |
| Vitamin D deficiency | 5.2 | (296) | 7.4 | (106) | 0.001c |
| Follow-up period characteristicsf | |||||
| ≥ 1 medical visit, % (n) | |||||
| Inpatient admission | 14.4 | (824) | 70.8 | (1,015) | < 0.001c |
| Emergency department | 26.6 | (1,528) | 60.0 | (861) | < 0.001c |
| Specialists | |||||
| Cardiologist | 21.7 | (1,246) | 57.7 | (827) | < 0.001c |
| Dermatologist | 21.8 | (1,250) | 22.7 | (325) | 0.470 |
| Gastroenterologist | 13.7 | (786) | 25.2 | (361) | < 0.001c |
| Nephrologist | 2.5 | (146) | 10.0 | (144) | < 0.001c |
| Ophthalmologist | 27.7 | (1,589) | 36.3 | (520) | < 0.001c |
| Orthopedist | 13.5 | (776) | 27.0 | (387) | < 0.001c |
| Pulmonologist | 35.7 | (2,050) | 49.0 | (702) | < 0.001c |
| Radiologist | 70.2 | (4,027) | 91.3 | (1,309) | < 0.001c |
| Rheumatologist | 12.0 | (691) | 19.0 | (273) | < 0.001c |
| ≥ 1 medical or pharmacy claim for drug use, % (n) | |||||
| Adalimumab and/or infliximab | 0.2 | (11) | 3.1 | (44) | < 0.001c |
| ≥ 1 prescription filled, % (n) | |||||
| Antidepressants | 20.5 | (1,177) | 39.9 | (572) | < 0.001c |
| Antimalarial medications | 4.1 | (238) | 6.8 | (97) | < 0.001c |
| Antineoplastic agents | 3.8 | (217) | 12.5 | (179) | < 0.001c |
| Antiasthmatic and bronchodilator agents | 21.6 | (1,238) | 34.0 | (488) | < 0.001c |
| Bisphosphonates | 4.7 | (271) | 7.9 | (113) | < 0.001c |
| Glucocorticosteroids | 29.6 | (1,697) | 51.1 | (733) | < 0.001c |
| Immunosuppressive agents | 1.4 | (80) | 6.0 | (86) | < 0.001c |
| NSAIDs | 25.0 | (1,435) | 34.7 | (498) | < 0.001c |
aP values were calculated using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests for continuous variables and chi-square tests for categorical variables.
bPatient demographics were evaluated at the index date. CCI scores were assessed in the 12-month period preceding the index date.
cP value < 0.05.
dStudy period characteristics were evaluated during the 12-month period preceding and 12-month period following the index date.
eRefer to Appendix A (available in online article) for a list of the sarcoidosis-related comorbidities and the respective ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes.
fFollow-up period characteristics were evaluated during the 12-month period following the index date.
CCI = Charlson Comorbidity Index; ICD-9-CM = International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification; NSAID = nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; Q1 = quarter 1; SD = standard deviation.