Table 1.
Patient characteristics during the baseline period, stratified by WCS and OCS.
| Characteristic | All (N = 166) | WCS (N = 84) | OCS (N = 82) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female, n (%) | 82 (49.40) | 46 (54.76) | 36 (43.90) |
| Age at index, years | |||
| Mean (SD) | 42.87 (13.61) | 43.11 (14.87) | 42.63 (12.27) |
| Median (range) | 42 (20–78) | 42 (20–78) | 43 (20–70) |
| CCI | |||
| Mean (SD) | 0.87 (1.57) | 0.98 (1.83) | 0.77 (1.26) |
| Median (range) | 0 (0–9) | 0 (0–9) | 0 (0–6) |
| Comorbidities, n (%) | |||
| Any cancer | 6 (3.61) | 3 (3.57) | 3 (3.66) |
| Colorectal cancer | 0 (0.00) | 0 (0.00) | 0 (0.00) |
| Any CVD | 33 (19.88) | 21 (25.00) | 12 (14.63) |
| Diabetes | 19 (11.45) | 10 (11.90) | 9 (10.98) |
| CKD | 8 (4.82) | 2 (2.38) | 6 (7.32) |
| Hypertension | 48 (28.92) | 29 (34.52) | 19 (23.17) |
| Combined history (CVD, diabetes, hypertension, CKD) | 62 (37.35) | 35 (41.67) | 27 (32.93) |
| Therapy use, n (%) | |||
| Antibiotics | 62 (37.35) | 33 (39.29) | 29 (35.37) |
| Corticosteroids | 134 (80.72) | 70 (83.33) | 64 (78.05) |
| 5-ASA and similar agents | 156 (93.98) | 78 (92.86) | 78 (95.12) |
| Immunomodulators | 55 (33.13) | 31 (36.90) | 24 (29.27) |
| UC-related surgery | 10 (6.02) | 5 (5.95) | 5 (6.10) |
| GP visits | |||
| Mean (SD) | 9.07 (7.42) | 9.77 (8.22) | 8.35 (6.48) |
| Median (range) | 7 (0–41) | 8 (0–36) | 7 (0–41) |
| Gastroenterologist visits | |||
| Mean (SD) | 6.27 (6.14) | 5.02 (5.37) | 7.55 (6.62) |
| Median (range) | 6 (0–25) | 4 (0–23) | 8 (0–25) |
| All-cause hospitalizations | |||
| Mean (SD) | 0.96 (1.39) | 1.05 (1.42) | 0.87 (1.35) |
| Median (range) | 0 (0–6) | 1 (0–6) | 0 (0–6) |
| UC-related hospitalizations (main cause) | |||
| Mean (SD) | 0.58 (0.89) | 0.62 (0.83) | 0.54 (0.95) |
| Median (range) | 0 (0–4) | 0 (0–3) | 0 (0–4) |
| Loss of response, n (%) | |||
| Primary non-response (switch ⩽4 months) | 51 (30.72) | 32 (38.10) | 19 (23.17) |
| Primary non-response sensitivity (⩽3 months) | 32 (19.28) | 19 (22.62) | 13 (15.85) |
| Index year, n (%) | |||
| 2014 | 5 (3.01) | 5 (5.95) | 0 (0.00) |
| 2015 | 9 (5.42) | 4 (4.76) | 5 (6.10) |
| 2016 | 13 (7.83) | 11 (13.10) | 2 (2.44) |
| 2017 | 17 (10.24) | 14 (16.67) | 3 (3.66) |
| 2018 | 29 (17.47) | 14 (16.67) | 15 (18.29) |
| 2019 | 28 (16.87) | 14 (16.67) | 14 (17.07) |
| 2020 | 44 (26.51) | 16 (19.05) | 28 (34.15) |
| 2021 | 21 (12.65) | 6 (7.14) | 15 (18.29) |
| Duration of follow-up, months | |||
| Mean (SD) | 41.13 (21.15) | 46.89 (22.01) | 35.23 (18.57) |
| Median (range) | 36.39 (2.33–96.26) | 44.38 (2.33–96.26) | 29.15 (12.82–87.42) |
5-ASA, 5-aminosalicylic acid; CCI, Charlson Comorbidity index; CKD, chronic kidney disease; CVD, cardiovascular diseases; GP, general practitioner; OCS, outside-class switchers; SD, standard deviation; UC, ulcerative colitis; WCS, within-class switchers.