Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of Initiators of Raloxifene and Alendronate Use (Medicare Claims Data), United States, 1998–2005
| Covariatea | Raloxifene (n = 9,829) |
Alendronate (n = 40,960) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) | No. | % | Mean (SD) | No. | % | |
| Demographic factors | ||||||
| Age, years | 77.6 (6.8) | 79.1 (6.8) | ||||
| Female sex | 9,783 | 99.5 | 38,319 | 95.0 | ||
| White race/ethnicity | 9,094 | 92.5 | 37,925 | 92.6 | ||
| Utilization of health services | ||||||
| No. of hospitalizations | 0.4 (1.0) | 0.6 (1.2) | ||||
| No. of days hospitalized | 3.2 (9.1) | 4.7 (11.0) | ||||
| No. of different medications used | 11.2 (6.0) | 11.3 (6.1) | ||||
| No. of days in nursing home | 1.7 (8.9) | 3.5 (13.4) | ||||
| No. of physician visits | 10.6 (7.2) | 10.8 (7.4) | ||||
| Bone mineral density testing | 3,762 | 38.3 | 18,508 | 45.2 | ||
| Clinical conditions | ||||||
| Combined comorbidity scoreb | 1.3 (2.2) | 1.7 (2.5) | ||||
| Alzheimer's disease | 631 | 6.4 | 3,326 | 8.1 | ||
| Cancer | 1,962 | 20.0 | 8,929 | 21.8 | ||
| Cataracts | 3,924 | 39.9 | 15,321 | 37.4 | ||
| COPD | 2,165 | 22.0 | 10,306 | 25.2 | ||
| Crohn's disease | 617 | 6.3 | 2,270 | 5.5 | ||
| Depression | 1,135 | 11.6 | 4,934 | 12.1 | ||
| Diabetes | 2,442 | 24.8 | 10,931 | 26.7 | ||
| Falls | 374 | 3.8 | 2,332 | 5.7 | ||
| Nonvertebral fracture | 438 | 4.5 | 3,066 | 7.5 | ||
| History of fracture | 1,294 | 13.2 | 8,251 | 20.1 | ||
| Vertebral fracture | 469 | 4.8 | 3,154 | 7.7 | ||
| Gait abnormality | 660 | 6.7 | 4,126 | 10.1 | ||
| HIV/AIDS | 4 | 0.0 | 26 | 0.1 | ||
| Hyperparathyroidism | 76 | 0.8 | 434 | 1.1 | ||
| Hyperthyroidism | 2 | 0.0 | 4 | 0.0 | ||
| Kyphosis | 211 | 2.2 | 1,301 | 3.2 | ||
| Liver disease | 350 | 3.6 | 1,493 | 3.7 | ||
| Osteoarthritis | 4,129 | 42.0 | 18,247 | 44.6 | ||
| Osteoporosis | 5,448 | 55.4 | 24,651 | 60.2 | ||
| Parkinson's disease | 154 | 1.6 | 771 | 1.9 | ||
| Chronic renal failure | 369 | 3.8 | 1,959 | 4.8 | ||
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 583 | 5.9 | 2,796 | 6.8 | ||
| Stroke or TIA | 1,203 | 12.2 | 5,936 | 14.5 | ||
| Syncope | 714 | 7.3 | 3,505 | 8.6 | ||
| Prior medication use | ||||||
| Alzheimer's drugs | 303 | 3.0 | 1,503 | 3.7 | ||
| Anticonvulsants | 491 | 5.0 | 2,393 | 5.8 | ||
| Non-SSRI antidepressants | 1,122 | 11.4 | 4,256 | 10.4 | ||
| SSRIs | 1,416 | 14.4 | 5,819 | 14.2 | ||
| Antipsychotic agents | 284 | 2.9 | 1,343 | 3.3 | ||
| β blockers | 3,148 | 32.0 | 14,028 | 34.3 | ||
| Benzodiazepines | 2,643 | 26.9 | 10,107 | 24.7 | ||
| Calcitonin | 1,105 | 11.2 | 3,543 | 8.7 | ||
| Bisphosphonates | 36 | 0.4 | 143 | 0.4 | ||
| Risedronate | 380 | 3.9 | 1,192 | 2.9 | ||
| Teriparatide | 10 | 0.1 | 30 | 0.1 | ||
| Corticosteroids | 1,113 | 11.3 | 5,975 | 14.6 | ||
| COX-2 inhibitors | 2,190 | 22.3 | 9,841 | 24.0 | ||
| Glitazones | 363 | 3.7 | 1,817 | 4.4 | ||
| Other diabetes drugs | 1,172 | 11.9 | 5,488 | 13.4 | ||
| Diuretics | 1,040 | 10.6 | 4,945 | 12.1 | ||
| Gastroprotective drugs | 4,043 | 41.1 | 14,039 | 34.3 | ||
| Hormone replacement therapy | 1,724 | 17.5 | 3,638 | 8.9 | ||
| Nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic agents | 1,061 | 10.8 | 4,195 | 10.2 | ||
| ns-NSAIDs | 2,350 | 23.9 | 8,933 | 21.8 | ||
| Parkinson's drugs | 166 | 1.7 | 763 | 1.9 | ||
| Thyroid hormone replacement | 1,851 | 18.8 | 7,766 | 19.0 | ||
Abbreviations: AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; COX-2, cyclooxygenase 2; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; ns-NSAID, nonselective nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug; SD, standard deviation; SSRI, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; TIA, transient ischemic attack.
a Covariates were assessed during a 180-day baseline period.
b The combined comorbidity score is a combination of the Charlson and Elixhauser comorbidity scores (23).