Table 1. Patient characteristics.
| lithium | valproate | olanzapine | quetiapine | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total, n | 2,148 | 1,670 | 1,477 | 1,376 |
| Female, n (%) | 1,287 (59.92) | 911 (54.55) | 791 (53.55) | 959 (69.69) |
| Age, median (IQR), years | 46.28 (35.70–60.67) | 42.31 (31.95–54.80) | 41.01 (32.03–53.08) | 38.08 (29.30–48.71) |
| Non-white ethnic background, n (%) | 55 (2.56) | 85 (5.09) | 78 (5.28) | 43 (3.13) |
| Duration of drug exposure, median (IQR), years | 2.03 (0.77–4.86) | 1.48 (0.65–3.35) | 1.28 (0.59–3.29) | 1.06 (0.56–2.26) |
| Primary care contacts per year, median (IQR) | 11.14 (6.54–18.02) | 12.51 (7.36–19.96) | 11.94 (7.08–19.55) | 14.61 (9.21–22.55) |
| Health at baseline, n (%) | ||||
| CVD history | 124 (5.77) | 121 (7.25) | 68 (4.60) | 53 (3.85) |
| ≥CKD3 (or eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73m2) | 52 (2.42) | 40 (2.40) | 27 (1.83) | 32 (2.33) |
| Hypothyroidism (or TSH >10 mU/L) | 183 (8.52) | 105 (6.29) | 60 (4.06) | 61 (4.43) |
| Hyperthyroidism (or TSH <0.1 mU/L) | 16 (0.74) | 8 (0.48) | 9 (0.61) | 9 (0.65) |
| T2DM (or HbA1c >48 mmol/mol) | 108 (5.03) | 140 (8.38) | 45 (3.05) | 86 (6.25) |
| Hepatic impairment (or ALT >200 U/L or AST >250 U/L | 34 (1.58) | 41 (2.45) | 37 (2.51) | 19 (1.38) |
| Obesity (BMI >30) | 896 (41.71) | 716 (42.87) | 509 (34.36) | 609 (44.26) |
| Hypercalcemia (adjusted calcium >2.65 mmol/L) | 10 (0.47) | 4 (0.24) | 2 (0.14) | 3 (0.22) |
| Hypertension | 184 (8.57) | 173 (10.36) | 103 (6.97) | 130 (9.45) |
| Epilepsy | 43 (2.00) | 132 (7.90) | 50 (3.39) | 49 (3.56) |
| Previous anxiety problems | 144 (6.70) | 150 (8.98) | 137 (9.28) | 201 (14.61) |
| Moderate/heavy alcohol use | 1,189 (55.35) | 899 (53.83) | 791 (53.55) | 708 (51.45) |
| Current smoker | 711 (33.10) | 652 (39.04) | 632 (42.79) | 567 (41.21) |
| Bipolar disorder characteristics at baseline, n (%) | ||||
| Previous depressive episode | 1,238 (57.64) | 990 (59.28) | 915 (61.95) | 1,015 (73.76) |
| Previous record of taking study drug | 1,731 (80.59) | 1,157 (69.28) | 886 (59.99) | 847 (61.56) |
CVD, cardiovascular disease; CKD, chronic kidney disease; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; TSH, thyroid stimulating hormone; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus; ALT, alanine transaminase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; BMI, body mass index