Table 2.
MS Comorbidities and Pharmacologic Treatments of Interest During the Post-Index Period
| Comorbidity* | DMD-treated (n = 4,462) |
Not DMD treated (n = 6,599) |
p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joint derangement, dorsopathies, polymyalgia rheumatica | 52.7% | 57.1% | <0.001 |
| High blood pressure | 30.5% | 40.7% | <0.001 |
| High cholesterol | 23.2% | 28.6% | <0.001 |
| Cancers excluding skin cancer | 22.2% | 28.2% | <0.001 |
| Fatigue | 25.1% | 24.1% | 0.231 |
| Urinary tract infections | 21.6% | 25.9% | <0.001 |
| Headache | 22.0% | 21.9% | 0.897 |
| Neuropathic pain | 19.6% | 22.7% | <0.001 |
| Depression | 21.0% | 18.6% | 0.002 |
| Anxiety | 18.3% | 19.8% | 0.049 |
| Arthritis (RA & OA) | 12.6% | 21.4% | <0.001 |
| Skin cancers | 13.8% | 14.9% | 0.107 |
| Thyroid disease | 12.2% | 15.1% | <0.001 |
| Diabetes | 8.8% | 14.8% | <0.001 |
| Sleep disorders | 11.5% | 11.0% | 0.469 |
| Index DMD** | |||
| Glatiramer acetate | 33.7% | ||
| Interferon beta-1a IM | 32.1% | ||
| Interferon beta-1a SQ | 20.5% | ||
| Interferon beta-1b | 12.7% | ||
| Mitoxantrone | 0.6% | ||
| Natalizumab | 0.4% | ||
| Other medications used for treating MS exacerbations | |||
| Corticosteroids | 61.4% | 40.0% | <0.001 |
| Methotrexate | 1.4% | 2.0% | 0.020 |
| Azathioprine | 1.3% | 1.0% | 0.165 |
| Cyclosporine | 1.2% | 1.4% | 0.336 |
| Mycophenolate | 1.1% | 0.7% | 0.027 |
| IVIG | 1.3% | 0.6% | <0.001 |
| Cyclophosphamide | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.416 |
| Muscle relaxants | 37.6% | 33.6% | <0.001 |
| Antidepressants | 37.9% | 30.4% | <0.001 |
| Anti-fatigue agents | 32.7% | 12.5% | <0.001 |
*ICD-9-CM codes used for these conditions are available on request.
**First DMD on or after the patient's index date.