Table 1.
Descriptive characteristics of the Medicare-eligible cohort
| Characteristic | All | Stroke | No Stroke | P Valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cases (n) | 265,685 | 13,073 | 252,612 | |
| Age (yr) | 64.7±15.1 | 69.4±11.9 | 64.5±15.2 | <0.0001 |
| Male, n (%) | 140,599 (52.9) | 5406 (41.4) | 135,193 (53.5) | <0.0001 |
| Race/ethnicity, n (%) | <0.0001 | |||
| African American | 79,693 (30.0) | 4336 (33.2) | 75,357 (29.8) | |
| White | 145,768 (54.9) | 7030 (53.8) | 138,738 (54.9) | |
| Hispanic | 27,738 (10.4) | 1248 (9.6) | 26,490 (10.5) | |
| Other | 12,486 (4.7) | 459 (3.5) | 12,027 (4.8) | |
| BMI category, n (%) | <0.0001 | |||
| < 20 kg/m2 | 25,710 (9.7) | 1321 (10.1) | 24,389 (9.7) | |
| 20–24.9 kg/m2 | 84,154 (31.7) | 4330 (33.1) | 79,824 (31.6) | |
| 25–29.9 kg/m2 | 76,043 (28.6) | 3840 (29.4) | 72,203 (28.6) | |
| 30+kg/m2 | 79,778 (30.0) | 3582 (27.4) | 76,196 (30.2) | |
| Smoker, n (%) | 14,893 (5.6) | 608 (4.7) | 14,285 (5.7) | <0.0001 |
| Substance abuser, n (%) | 5,370 (2.2) | 157 (1.2) | 5573 (2.2) | <0.0001 |
| Unemployed, n (%) | 252,749 (95.1) | 12,846 (98.3) | 239,903 (95.0) | <0.0001 |
| Unable to ambulate, n (%) | 11,443 (4.3) | 745 (5.7) | 10,698 (4.2) | <0.0001 |
| Unable to transfer, n (%) | 4075 (1.5) | 295 (2.3) | 3780 (1.5) | <0.0001 |
| In-center HD, n (%)b | 247,584 (93.2) | 12,258 (93.8) | 235,326 (93.2) | 0.007 |
| Hemoglobin < 11.0 g/dl, n (%) | 176,664 (72.9) | 8759 (73.6) | 167,905 (72.83) | 0.05 |
| Comorbid conditions, n (%) | ||||
| AF | 38,619 (14.5) | 2863 (21.9) | 35,756 (14.2) | <0.0001 |
| Hypertension | 224,159 (84.4) | 11,410 (87.3) | 212,749 (84.2) | <0.0001 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 141,067 (53.1) | 8050 (61.6) | 133,017 (52.7) | <0.0001 |
| Congestive heart failure | 88,226 (33.2) | 4990 (38.2) | 83,236 (33.0) | <0.0001 |
| Coronary artery disease | 74,734 (28.1) | 4302 (32.9) | 70,431 (27.9) | <0.0001 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 40,662 (15.3) | 2431 (18.6) | 38,231 (15.1) | <0.0001 |
| Prior cerebrovascular accident | 27,304 (10.3) | 3055 (23.4) | 24,249 (9.6) | <0.0001 |
| Liu comorbidity index score | 5.1±2.8 | 5.8±2.8 | 5.01±2.8 | <0.0001 |
| Cause of ESRD, n (%) | <0.0001 | |||
| Diabetes | 125,220 (47.2) | 7178 (54.9) | 118,042 (46.7) | |
| Hypertension | 70,117 (26.4) | 3480 (26.6) | 66,637 (26.4) | |
| GN | 22,817 (8.6) | 604 (4.6) | 225,213 (8.8) | |
| Other | 47,531(17.9) | 1811 (13.9) | 465,720 (18.1) |
a
For the comparison between individuals who did and did not experience a stroke.
b
In-center hemodialysis is contrasted to self-care dialysis, which consists of peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis.