Table 4.

Variables Included in the Propensity Score^*

Demographics Age (continuous) Region Nursing home resident Smoking status

Co-morbidities Elements of the Charlson-Deyo comorbidity score (congestive heart disease, peripheral vascular disorder, cerebrovascular disease, dementia, chronic pulmonary disease, peptic ulcer disease, diabetes, diabetes with chronic complications, hemiplegia or paraplegia, renal disease, liver disease, malignancy including leukemia and lymphoma, and metastatic solid tumor) Hepatitis C infection Obesity Uveitis Growth failure Sjogren’s disease Systemic lupus erythematosus Fistula/abscess Extra-articular manifestations Myocardial infarction Heart failure Transient ischemic attack Stroke Hypertension Angina Solid tumor Fracture Osteoporosis

Drug Use

Past and concomitant use of the following medication classes: chemotherapy, lipid-lowering, diabetic medications, folate, antifungals, anti-hypertensives, narcotics, NSAIDs, naproxen, sedatives, steroids, anti-tubercular, thyroid medications, anti-virals, anti-dementia, statins, Cox inhibitors, beta blockers, drugs to treat osteoporosis (bisphosphonates, raloxifene, teriparitide, calcitonin, estrogens), drugs that can cause osteoporosis (thiazides, thiazolidinedione, anticoagulants including warfarin and heparin), DMARD 30 days prior to index date, DMARDs 335 days prior to index date, antithrombotic medications, antibiotics, antipsychotics, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, calcium, and adrenergic.

Health care utilization No. of physician office visits Prior hospitalizations (yes/no) Rehabilitation visit No. of infections recorded on outpatient records Joint surgery Lipid screening Flu shot Mammography Prostate-specific antigen test Pap smear Endoscopy Fecal occult blood test Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography Endoscopic screen Barium, upper Barium, lower No. of colonoscopies No. of sigmoidoscopies No. of endoscopies No. of abdominal images Closed large bowel biospy Inflammatoary Marker Number of inflammatory markers ordered Rheumatoid factor test Platelets LiverNumber of platelet counts ordered Number of liver function testest ordered Intra-articular injection Coronary revascularization

^*Operational definitions available upon request.