Table 5.
Baseline Characteristics of Initiators of Simvastatin + Ezetimibe Use and Simvastatin Use (Medicare Claims Data), United States, 2004–2005
| Covariatea | Simvastatin + Ezetimibe (n = 1,976) |
Simvastatin (n = 5,162) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) | No. | % | Mean (SD) | No. | % | |
| Demographic factors | ||||||
| Age, years | 75.6 (6.6) | 76.2 (7.1) | ||||
| Female sex | 1,550 | 78.4 | 3,767 | 73.0 | ||
| White race/ethnicity | 1,760 | 89.1 | 4,616 | 89.4 | ||
| Utilization of health services | ||||||
| No. of physician visits | 4.9 (3.7) | 4.7 (4.0) | ||||
| No. of cardiovascular physician visits | 2.5 (2.3) | 2.2 (2.3) | ||||
| No. of cardiovascular diagnoses | 4.0 (4.0) | 4.3 (5.0) | ||||
| No. of hospital admissions | 0.1 (0.4) | 0.2 (0.6) | ||||
| No. of days hospitalized | 0.5 (2.6) | 1.8 (6.3) | ||||
| No. of cardiovascular hospital admissions | 0.04 (0.2) | 0.1 (0.4) | ||||
| No. of days in cardiovascular hospital | 0.2 (1.4) | 0.8 (3.6) | ||||
| No. of days in nursing home | 0.3 (3.2) | 1.1 (6.8) | ||||
| No. of distinct generic drugs | 7.5 (4.0) | 7.7 (4.3) | ||||
| Bone mineral density testing | 103 | 5.2 | 254 | 4.9 | ||
| Lipid testing | 722 | 36.5 | 1,984 | 38.4 | ||
| Cardiogram | 1,044 | 52.8 | 1,941 | 37.6 | ||
| Preventive careb | 631 | 31.9 | 1,491 | 28.9 | ||
| Clinical conditions | ||||||
| Combined comorbidity scorec | 0.6 (1.8) | 0.9 (2.1) | ||||
| Peripheral vascular disease | 182 | 9.1 | 583 | 11.3 | ||
| Diabetes mellitus | 813 | 41.1 | 1,954 | 37.9 | ||
| Hyperlipidemia | 1,662 | 84.1 | 3,740 | 72.5 | ||
| CABG prior to baseline period | 46 | 2.3 | 196 | 3.8 | ||
| CABG during baseline period | 4 | 0.2 | 17 | 0.3 | ||
| Hypertension | 1,550 | 78.4 | 3,803 | 73.7 | ||
| Congestive heart failure (any diagnosis) | 205 | 10.4 | 706 | 13.7 | ||
| Congestive heart failure (hospital diagnosis) | 16 | 0.8 | 151 | 2.9 | ||
| Atrial fibrillation (hospital diagnosis) | 17 | 0.9 | 131 | 2.5 | ||
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 276 | 14.0 | 813 | 15.8 | ||
| Chest pain | 284 | 14.4 | 837 | 16.2 | ||
| Coronary atherosclerosis | 492 | 24.9 | 1,429 | 27.7 | ||
| Conduct disorder | 47 | 2.4 | 188 | 3.6 | ||
| Heart palpitations | 87 | 4.4 | 177 | 3.4 | ||
| Ischemic heart disease | 537 | 27.2 | 1,547 | 30.0 | ||
| Alzheimer's disease | 62 | 3.1 | 242 | 4.7 | ||
| Cancer | 268 | 13.6 | 772 | 15.0 | ||
| Depression | 121 | 6.1 | 401 | 7.8 | ||
| Falls | 12 | 0.6 | 62 | 1.2 | ||
| Hip fracture | 10 | 0.5 | 48 | 0.9 | ||
| Hyperparathyroidism | 6 | 0.3 | 23 | 0.5 | ||
| Osteoarthritis | 463 | 23.4 | 1,083 | 20.9 | ||
| Osteoporosis | 225 | 11.4 | 564 | 10.9 | ||
| Chronic renal disease | 71 | 3.6 | 265 | 5.1 | ||
| End-stage renal disease | 2 | 0.1 | 4 | 0.1 | ||
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 53 | 2.7 | 110 | 2.1 | ||
| Urinary tract infection | 182 | 9.2 | 510 | 9.9 | ||
| Prior medication use | ||||||
| ACE inhibitors | 430 | 21.8 | 1,230 | 23.8 | ||
| α blockers | 17 | 0.9 | 72 | 1.4 | ||
| Antiarrhythmic agents | 50 | 2.5 | 148 | 2.9 | ||
| Antifungal agents | 33 | 1.7 | 78 | 1.5 | ||
| Angiotensin receptor blockers | 252 | 12.8 | 587 | 11.4 | ||
| β blockers | 697 | 35.3 | 1,828 | 35.4 | ||
| Calcium channel blockers | 479 | 24.2 | 1,309 | 25.4 | ||
| Diabetes drugs | 530 | 26.8 | 1,336 | 25.9 | ||
| Erectile drugs | 15 | 0.8 | 45 | 0.9 | ||
| Hormone replacement therapy | 69 | 3.5 | 133 | 2.6 | ||
| Loop diuretics | 325 | 16.5 | 911 | 17.7 | ||
| Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs | 383 | 19.4 | 886 | 17.2 | ||
| Osteoporosis drugs | 281 | 14.2 | 760 | 14.7 | ||
| Potassium-sparing agents/aldosterone | 74 | 3.7 | 204 | 4.0 | ||
| Proton pump inhibitors | 454 | 23.0 | 1,087 | 21.1 | ||
| Psychoactive agents | 613 | 31.0 | 1,572 | 30.5 | ||
| Thiazides | 228 | 11.5 | 654 | 12.7 | ||
| Warfarin | 159 | 8.1 | 488 | 9.5 | ||
Abbreviations: ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; CABG, coronary artery bypass grafting; SD, standard deviation.
a Covariates were assessed during a 180-day baseline period.
b Gynecological examination, prophylactic vaccination, routine medical examination, or screening mammogram.
c The combined comorbidity score is a combination of the Charlson and Elixhauser comorbidity scores (23).