Table 1.
Characteristics of patients treated with corticosteroids alone and corticosteroids plus a proton pump inhibitor
| Steroids alone (n=12,699 pts) |
Steroids + PPI (n=1,050 pts) |
P–value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age in yrs (continuous) | Mean 53.35 (SD 18.91) | Mean 53.14 (SD 19.38) | 0.74 |
| Gender (female) | 60.0% | 52.4% | <0.01 |
| Geographic region Midwest† Northeast Southeast West |
24.1% 18.1% 17.8% 40.1% |
20.9% 18.9% 16.6% 43.7% |
|
| Corticosteroid dose (continuous) | Median 10 mg (IQR 5–20) | Median 20 mg (IQR 6.7–45) | <0.01 |
| Corticosteroid dose category (mg) 0–<5† 5–<10 10–<20 20–<30 30–<40 40–<50 50–<60 60–<70 70–<79 ≥80 |
19.9% 19.3% 26.6 12.4% 6.1% 7.5% 1.2% 5.0% 0.2% 1.8% |
17.0% 10.2% 18.5% 12.9% 7.2% 9.8% 4.3% 13.5% 1.0% 5.7% |
<0.01 |
| Number of comorbidities | 1.02 | 1.66 | <0.01 |
| Number of comorbidities 0† 1 2 3 4 >5 |
40.2% 35.0% 14.2% 6.1% 2.7% 1.8% |
23.9% 30.7% 20.0% 12.4% 7.4% 5.6% |
<0.01 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 22.3% | 12.7% | <0.01 |
| Asthma/Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 10.2% | 13.7% | <0.01 |
| Cough | 9.5% | 11.9% | 0.01 |
| Congestive heart failure | 6.5% | 17.1% | <0.01 |
| Obesity | 1.8% | 3.2% | <0.01 |
| Tobacco use | 3.2% | 5.7% | <0.01 |
| Alcohol abuse | 0.6% | 1.6% | <0.01 |
| Dementia | 1.2% | 1.6% | 0.23 |
| Gait imbalance or a history of falls | 1.9% | 3.3% | <0.01 |
| Coronary artery disease | 10.5% | 19.0% | <0.01 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 5.5% | 10.5% | <0.01 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 2.3% | 3.4% | 0.02 |
| Intestinal malabsorption | 0.4% | 1.1% | |
| Chronic renal insufficiency | 9.9% | 33.4% | <0.01 |
| Endocrine disorders affecting bone metabolism | 3.7% | 6.2% | <0.01 |
| Disorders resulting in immunodeficiency | 0.7% | 1.6% | 0.12 |
| Inflammatory bowel disease | 7.1% | 7.2% | <0.01 |
| Osteoporosis | 6.6% | 7.0% | 0.84 |
| History of seizures or syncope | 3.9% | 7.3% | 0.66 |
| Chronic liver disease | 4.5% | 13.2% | <0.01 |
| Nursing home admission in the past 12 months | 3.5% | 9.1% | <0.01 |
| Diabetes | 12.9% | 19.2% | <0.01 |
| Hospitalization in the past 30 days | 14.0% | 56.5% | <0.01 |
| History of GERD or peptic ulcer disease | 7.2% | 13.3% | <0.01 |
| Visits with a physician in the past year | 7.1 | 7.5 | 0.10 |
| Number of medications prescribed in the past year | 7.1 | 7.8 | <0.01 |
| Use of anticoagulation | 3.6% | 6.8% | <0.01 |
| Use of anti–platelet medication | 2.0% | 2.1% | 0.89 |
| Use of NSAIDs in the prior 90 days | 16.5% | 9.5% | <0.01 |
| Use of NSAIDs concurrently | 4.7% | 3.8% | 0.21 |
| Prior use of H2RA | 2.6% | 3.3% | 0.15 |
| Use of immunosuppressive medications | 13.1% | 5.2% | <0.01 |
| Use of thyroid replacement hormone | 10.5% | 8.9% | <0.01 |
| Use of cardiovascular medications | 31.0% | 37.4% | <0.01 |
| Use of bisphosphonates or vitamin D supplements | 11.4% | 7.5% | <0.01 |