Table 1. Characteristics of APTC cases and their corresponding controls, and for unexposed and exposed controls (proxy for distribution in the source population).
| Cases (n = 538) | Controls (n = 1,791) | Unexposed Controls (n = 1,063) | Exposed Controls (n = 728) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 365 (67.8%) | 1,273 (71.1%) | 815 (76.7%) | 458 (62.9%) |
| Women | 173 (32.2%) | 518 (28.9%) | 248 (23.3%) | 270 (37.1%) |
| Age, median (IQR) | 79 (71–86) | 77 (70–84) | 77 (70–83) | 78 (71–85) |
| History of: | ||||
| Ischemic heart disease | 284 (52.8%) | 589 (32.9%) | 390 (36.7%) | 199 (27.3%) |
| Heart failure | 241 (44.8%) | 393 (21.9%) | 271 (25.5%) | 122 (16.8%) |
| Atrial fibrillation | 176 (32.7%) | 363 (20.3%) | 264 (24.8%) | 99 (13.6%) |
| Stroke | 101 (18.8%) | 249 (13.9%) | 158 (14.9%) | 91 (12.5%) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 128 (23.8%) | 274 (15.3%) | 176 (16.6%) | 98 (13.5%) |
| Hypertension | 221 (41.1%) | 532 (29.7%) | 339 (31.9%) | 193 (26.5%) |
| COPD | 92 (17.1%) | 180 (10.1%) | 121 (11.4%) | 59 (8.1%) |
| Charlson comorbidity index: | ||||
| 0 | 70 (13.0%) | 706 (39.4%) | 392 (36.9%) | 314 (43.1%) |
| 1 | 140 (26.0%) | 440 (24.6%) | 248 (23.3%) | 192 (26.4%) |
| 2 | 105 (19.5%) | 266 (14.9%) | 166 (15.6%) | 100 (13.7%) |
| ≥3 | 223 (41.4%) | 379 (21.2%) | 257 (24.2%) | 122 (16.8%) |
| Current drug use (baseline): | ||||
| Diabetes-drugs (ever use) | 87 (16.2%) | 259 (14.5%) | 168 (15.8%) | 91 (12.5%) |
| Vitamin K antagonists | 71 (13.2%) | 206 (11.5%) | 166 (15.6%) | 40 (5.5%) |
| ADP-receptor inhibitors | 9 (1.7%) | 20 (1.1%) | 14 (1.3%) | 6 (0.8%) |
| Low-dose ASA | 177 (32.9%) | 457 (25.5%) | 269 (25.3%) | 188 (25.8%) |
| Dipyridamole | 37 (6.9%) | 86 (4.8%) | 45 (4.2%) | 41 (5.6%) |
| Heart glycosides | 155 (28.8%) | 288 (16.1%) | 203 (19.1%) | 85 (11.7%) |
| Nitrate vasodilators | 128 (23.8%) | 207 (11.6%) | 112 (10.5%) | 95 (13.0%) |
| Thiazide diuretics | 80 (14.9%) | 223 (12.5%) | 142 (13.4%) | 81 (11.1%) |
| Loop diuretics | 330 (61.3%) | 748 (41.8%) | 463 (43.6%) | 285 (39.1%) |
| Aldosterone antagonists | 99 (18.4%) | 172 (9.6%) | 124 (11.7%) | 48 (6.6%) |
| Betablockers | 159 (29.6%) | 506 (28.3%) | 332 (31.2%) | 174 (23.9%) |
| Calcium antagonists | 128 (23.8%) | 426 (23.8%) | 243 (22.9%) | 183 (25.1%) |
| RAAS blockers | 248 (46.1%) | 746 (41.7%) | 454 (42.7%) | 292 (40.1%) |
| Statins | 114 (21.2%) | 451 (25.2%) | 292 (27.5%) | 159 (21.8%) |
| COPD related drug use | 76 (14.1%) | 229 (12.8%) | 148 (13.9%) | 81 (11.1%) |
| Systemic corticosteroids | 70 (13.0%) | 116 (6.5%) | 71 (6.7%) | 45 (6.2%) |
| NSAIDs | 111 (20.6%) | 387 (21.6%) | 228 (21.4%) | 159 (21.8%) |
| Blood measurements (baseline): | ||||
| Urate level prior to allopurinol, median (IQR) | 0.55 (0.49–0.64) | 0.52 (0.46–0.60) | 0.54 (0.49–0.62) | 0.49 (0.43–0.55) |
| Weighted urate level, median (IQR) | 0.39 (0.33–0.47) | 0.38 (0.32–0.43) | 0.42 (0.39–0.47) | 0.31 (0.27–0.34) |
| Urate < 0.36 mmol/l (treated to target) | 197 (36.6%) | 728 (40.6%) | 0 (0.0%) | 728 (100.0%) |
| eGFR, median (IQR) | 43 (31–58) | 52 (40–67) | 50 (38–65) | 55 (43–69) |
| High HbA1c (> 6.5%) | 82 (15.2%) | 212 (11.8%) | 140 (13.2%) | 72 (9.9%) |
| High cholesterol (> 5 mmol/l) | 115 (21.4%) | 329 (18.4%) | 215 (20.2%) | 114 (15.7%) |
| Proteinuria | 40 (7.4%) | 61 (3.4%) | 49 (4.6%) | 12 (1.6%) |
IQR = interquartile range; IHD = ischemic heart disease; COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; DM = diabetes mellitus; ASA = acetylsalicylic acid; ADP = adenosinediphosphat; VKA = vitamin-K-antagonists; RAAS = renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-receptor; NSAID = non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; eGFR = estimated glomerular filtration rate; HbA1c = hemoglobin A1c