Table 1.
Comparison of baseline characteristics of people prescribed different smoking cessation therapies. Values are numbers (percentages) of patients unless stated otherwise
| Variable | Nicotine replacement (n=63 265) | Bupropion (n=6422) | Varenicline (n=10 973) | Total (n=80 660) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male sex | 27 780 (43.9) | 3109 (48.4) | 5109 (46.6) | 35 998 (44.6) |
| Median age (years) | 45.80 | 43.29 | 45.91 | 45.52 |
| Previous mental health consultation | 2563 (4.1) | 156 (2.4) | 279 (2.5) | 2998 (3.7) |
| Alcohol misuse | 6702 (10.6) | 468 (7.3) | 909 (8.3) | 8079 (10.0) |
| Hypnotics use: | ||||
| None | 38 682 (61.1) | 4205 (65.5) | 6824 (62.2) | 49 711 (61.6) |
| Previous | 15 604 (24.7) | 1561 (24.3) | 3043 (27.7) | 20 208 (25.1) |
| Current | 8979 (14.2) | 656 (10.2) | 1106 (10.1) | 10 741 (13.3) |
| Antipsychotic use: | ||||
| None | 49 592 (78.4) | 5491 (85.5) | 9038 (82.4) | 64 121 (79.5) |
| Previous | 9837 (15.6) | 775 (12.1) | 1660 (15.1) | 12 272 (15.2) |
| Current | 3836 (6.1) | 156 (2.4) | 275 (2.5) | 4267 (5.3) |
| Antidepressant use: | ||||
| None | 31 174 (49.3) | 3610 (56.2) | 5648 (51.5) | 40 432 (50.1) |
| Previous | 16 107 (25.5) | 1819 (28.3) | 3344 (30.5) | 21 270 (26.4) |
| Current | 15 984 (25.3) | 993 (15.5) | 1981 (18.1) | 18 958 (23.5) |
| Previous suicide related event | 6985 (11.0) | 563 (8.8) | 1041 (9.5) | 8589 (10.7) |
| Previous smoking cessation therapy | 30 640 (48.4) | 3518 (54.8) | 5725 (52.2) | 39 883 (49.4) |
| Median No of clinical visits per year | 3.18 | 2.71 | 2.83 | 3.09 |
| Exposed to treatment before January 2008 | 52 953 (83.7) | 5720 (89.1) | 6378 (58.1) | 65 051 (80.7) |
| Index of multiple deprivation score: | ||||
| 0 | 10 289 (16.3) | 1110 (17.3) | 1566 (14.3) | 12 965 (16.1) |
| 1 | 10 230 (16.2) | 1249 (19.4) | 1968 (17.9) | 13 447 (16.7) |
| 2 | 12 512 (19.8) | 1262 (19.7) | 1877 (17.1) | 15 651 (19.4) |
| 3 | 13 536 (21.4) | 1364 (21.2) | 1980 (18.1) | 16 880 (20.9) |
| 4 | 16 698 (26.4) | 1437 (22.4) | 3582 (32.6) | 21 717 (26.9) |
| UK region: | ||||
| England | 49 521 (78.3) | 5523 (86.0) | 8409 (76.6) | 63 453 (78.6) |
| Northern Ireland | 2822 (4.5) | 109 (1.7) | 602 (5.5) | 3533 (4.4) |
| Scotland | 4460 (7.0) | 425 (6.6) | 1306 (11.9) | 6191 (7.7) |
| Wales | 6462 (10.2) | 365 (5.7) | 656 (6.0) | 7483 (9.3) |
| No of smoking cessation drugs used*: | ||||
| 1 | 59 109 (93.4) | 5023 (78.2) | 10 207(93.0) | 74 339 (92.2) |
| 2 | 4023 (6.4) | 1272 (19.8) | 749 (6.8) | 6044 (7.5) |
| 3 | 133 (0.2) | 127 (2.0) | 17 (0.2) | 277 (0.3) |
*Including initial study treatment.