Table 1.
Patient demographics and prescriptions
| Exposed patients | Unexposed controls | |
|---|---|---|
| Age, mean ± SD | 66.3 ± 11.1 | 46.8 ± 17.2 |
| Female | 1426 (61.5 %) | 16,990 (64.9 %) |
| Concomitant statins | ||
| CYP3A4 metabolized | ||
| Simvastatin | 1589 | – |
| Atorvastatin | 195 | – |
| Pravastatin | 151 | – |
| Lovastatin | 2 | – |
| Non CYP3A4 metabolized | ||
| Fluvastatin | 205 | – |
| Rosuvastatin | 175 | – |
| Current statin users | 1959 | – |
| History of disease n (%)a | ||
| Diabetes | 622 (26.8 %) | 1236 (4.7 %) |
| Cardiovascular disease | 1906 (82.3 %) | 7704 (29.4 %) |
| Malignancy | 52 (2.2 %) | 337 (1.3 %) |
| Autoimmune disorders | 27 (1.2 %) | 172 (0.7 %) |
| Antiplatelet drugs | 665 (28.7 %) | 860 (3.3 %) |
| P2Y12 inhibitors | 194 (8.4 %) | 136 (0.5 %) |
| ASA ± dipyridamole | 537 (23.2 %) | 757 (2.9 %) |
| Highly active antiretroviral therapy | 0 (0 %) | 2 (0 %) |
| Concomitant medications | ||
| Other antilipidemic agents | 116 (5.0 %) | 241 (0.9 %) |
| Other systemic antibiotics | 684 (29.5 %) | 23,580 (90.1 %) |
| Drug-drug interaction (synergistic effect)b | ||
| Clarithromycin | ||
| Strong interaction | 78 (3.4 %) | 312 (1.2 %) |
| Moderate interaction | 882 (38.1 %) | 2859 (10.9 %) |
| Weak interaction | 581 (25.1 %) | 2768 (10.6 %) |
| Statins | ||
| Strong interaction | 22 (0.9 %) | – |
| Moderate interaction | 4 (0.2 %) | – |
| Weak interaction | 21 (0.9 %) | – |
| Drug-drug interaction (antagonistic effect)b | ||
| Clarithromycin | 2 (0.1 %) | 8 (0.0 %) |
| Statins | 0 (0.0 %) | – |
| Outcomes | ||
| No. of hospitalization | 198 (8.5 %) | 1108 (4.2 %) |
| No. of death | 8 (0.3 %) | 20 (0.1 %) |
ASA acetylsalicylic acid, CYP3A4 cytochrome P450 3A4, SD standard deviation
aConcomitant disease as suggested by co-medication
bSee the details in supplementary methods