Table 1.
Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the study population (N = 2439)
| Characteristics | Males | Females | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| (N = 1248) | (N = 1191) | ||
| Sociodemographic characteristics | |||
|
Age at first visit, years Mean ± SD (median; min–max) |
36.9 ± 13.93 (34; 13–85) | 43.67 ± 15.08 (41; 15–95) | < 0.05a |
|
Age at index date (295.* diagnosis), years Mean ± SD (median; min–max) |
40.62 ± 14.55 (38; 13–85) | 47.80 ± 15.24 (47; 18–95) | < 0.05a |
| Nationality (born in Italy/outside Italy), N (%) | nsc | ||
| In Italy | 1148 (91.99%) | 1098 (92.19%) | |
| Abroad | 91 (7.29%) | 88 (7.39%) | |
| Missing | 9 (0.72%) | 5 (0.42%) | |
| Residence in Ferrara, N (%) | < 0.05c | ||
| Yes | 428 (34.29%) | 478 (40.13%) | |
| No | 781 (62.58%) | 669 (56.17%) | |
| Missing | 39 (3.13%) | 44 (3.69%) | |
| Marital status, N (%) | < 0.05c | ||
| Single | 770 (61.70%) | 401 (33.67%) | |
| Married or living with partner | 136 (10.90%) | 359 (30.14%) | |
| Separated/divorced/widowed | 94 (7.53%) | 198 (16.62%) | |
| Missing | 248 (19.87%) | 233 (19.56%) | |
| Education level, N (%) | < 0.05c | ||
| Illiterate | 95 (7.61%) | 138 (11.59%) | |
| Literate | 207 (16.59%) | 165 (13.85%) | |
| Primary school | 200 (16.03%) | 176 (14.78%) | |
| Middle school | 232 (18.59%) | 171 (14.36%) | |
| High school | 146 (11.70%) | 149 (12.51%) | |
| University | 34 (2.72%) | 32 (2,69%) | |
| Missing | 334 (26.76%) | 360 (30.23%) | |
| Clinical characteristics | |||
|
Number of hospitalizations before index date Mean ± SD (median; min–max) |
1.04 ± 2.90 (0; 0–42) | 0.98 ± 2.91 (0; 0–39) | nsb |
|
Number of hospitalizations after index date Mean ± SD (median; min–max) |
2.40 ± 5.35 (0; 0–60) | 2.28 ± 6.93 (0; 0–108) | < 0.05b |
|
Duration of hospitalizations before index date, days Mean ± SD (median; min–max) |
15.89 ± 62.14 (0; 0–1780) | 13.59 ± 36.64 (0; 0–430) | nsb |
|
Duration of hospitalizations after index date, days Mean ± SD (median; min–max) |
36.02 ± 84.14 (0; 0–966) | 35.73 ± 92.61 (0; 0–1120) | nsb |
| Proportion (%) of patients who had one or more compulsory admissions before index date | 5.53% | 4.03% | nsc |
| Proportion (%) of patients who had one or more compulsory admissions after index date | 13.62% | 10.08% | < 0.05c |
|
Delay in diagnosisd, days Mean ± SD (median; min–max) |
1405.12 ± 2.090.93 (44; 0–9986) | 1512.01 ± 2.207.48 (57; 0–9994) | nsb |
at-test; bMann-Whitney U; cchi-squared test; note: ddelay in diagnosis: time difference between enrollment date and index date