Table 1.
Baseline characteristics overall and by gender
| Characteristica | Total | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Patients, N | 17,763 | 8,764 | 8,999 |
| Age, mean (SD), yearsb | 56.7 (14.5) | 59.1 (14.8) | 54.4 (13.9) |
| Time on dialysis, mean (SD), yearsb | 4.5 (4.3) | 4.4 (4.1) | 4.7 (4.4) |
| Race, N (%) | |||
| White | 7,242 (40.8) | 3,436 (39.2) | 3,806 (42.3) |
| African American | 9,555 (53.8) | 4,856 (55.4) | 4,699 (52.2) |
| Other Race | 966 (5.4) | 472 (5.4) | 494 (5.5) |
| Cause of ESRD, N (%) | |||
| Diabetes | 7,629 (42.9) | 4,233 (48.3) | 3,396 (37.7) |
| Hypertension | 5,612 (31.6) | 2,458 (28.0) | 3,154 (35.0) |
| Glomerulonephritis | 2,236 (12.6) | 1,067 (12.2) | 1,169 (13.0) |
| Other | 2,286 (12.9) | 1,006 (11.5) | 1,280 (14.2) |
| Body Mass Index, mean (SD), kg/m2 | 28.0 (7.3) | 28.7 (7.8) | 27.4 (6.7) |
| Financial Considerations | |||
| Medicaid, N (%) | 12,206 (68.7) | 6,351 (72.5) | 5,855 (65.1) |
| Low-income subsidy, N (%) | 14,906 (83.9) | 7,515 (85.7) | 7,391 (82.1) |
| Concomitant medications, N (%)c | 4.7 (3.6) | 5.1 (3.7) | 4.4 (3.5) |
| Biochemical Values | |||
| Albumin, mean (SD), g/dLd | 3.9 (0.4) | 3.8 (0.4) | 4.0 (0.4) |
| Calcium, mean (SD), mg/dLd | 9.4 (0.7) | 9.4 (0.7) | 9.4 (0.7) |
| Phosphorus, mean (SD), mg/dLd | 5.9 (1.7) | 5.8 (1.7) | 6.0 (1.7) |
| Parathyroid hormone, mean (SD), pg/mLd | 642 (519) | 640 (519) | 644 (520) |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Congestive heart failure, N (%) | 4,823 (27.2) | 2,592 (29.6) | 2,231 (24.8) |
| Coronary artery disease/atherosclerosis, N (%) | 4,703 (26.5) | 2,434 (27.8) | 2,269 (25.2) |
| Cerebrovascular disease, N (%) | 1,891 (10.6) | 1,087 (12.4) | 804 (8.9) |
| Hypertension, N (%) | 12,393 (69.8) | 6,481 (74.0) | 5,912 (65.7) |
| Peripheral vascular disease, N (%) | 2,352 (13.2) | 1,208 (13.8) | 1,144 (12.7) |
| Hyperlipidemia, N (%) | 4,658 (26.2) | 2,519 (28.7) | 2,139 (23.8) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma, N (%) | 2,727 (15.4) | 1,530 (17.5) | 1,197 (13.3) |
| Diabetes, N (%) | 10,052 (56.6) | 5,491 (62.7) | 4,561 (50.7) |
| Dialysis Care | |||
| Phosphorus binder drug, N (%)e | 14,135 (79.6) | 7,037 (80.3) | 7,098 (78.9) |
| Catheter access, N (%) | 3,351 (18.9) | 1,994 (22.8) | 1,357 (15.1) |
| Mean intravenous vitamin D dosage, micrograms (SD)f | 12.5 (10.3) | 11.9 (9.9) | 13.1 (10.7) |
Note: Conversion factors for units: Calcium in mg/dL to mmol/L, x0.2495; phosphorus in mg/dL to mmol/L, x0.3229
aCharacteristics were identified using information from Medicare Part A or B claims. A characteristic was considered present if at least one inpatient, home health, or skilled nursing facility claim, or at least two outpatient or physician/supplier claims separated by at least 7 days, were identified during the 6-month baseline period. Additional information concerning covariates can be found in Additional file 1: Table S3
bAge and time on dialysis are at the time of cinacalcet initiation
cConcomitant medications are the number of concomitant medications at the time of cinacalcet initiation
dLaboratory values were those most proximal to the index date during the baseline period
ePhosphate binders included in the analysis: Sevelamer hydrochloride, sevelamer carbonate, lanthanum carbonate, and calcium acetate
fMean intravenous vitamin D dose per person in the last month of the baseline period. Paricalcitol and doxercalciferol doses were converted to calcitriol-equivalent doses according to the following conversion ratios: 4.6: 1 for paricalcitol: calcitriol and 3.1: 1 for doxercalciferol: calcitriol