Table 2.
Comparison of baseline characteristics between exposure groups in participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer Norfolk Cohort Study (EPIC-Norfolk, 1993–2013).
| Baseline characteristic | No topical beta-blocker use (n = 25,460) | Topical beta-blocker use (n = 179) | p-value for difference between exposure groupsa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), years | 59.2 (9.3) | 66.6 (7.6) | <0.001 |
| Sex, % female | 54.8 | 42.2 | <0.001 |
| Diabetes, % | 2.3 | 5.6 | 0.003 |
| Myocardial infarction, % | 3.1 | 10.1 | <0.001 |
| Angina, % | 5.1 | 11.7 | <0.001 |
| Self-reported hypertension, % | 14.2 | 25.7 | <0.001 |
| Self-reported raised cholesterol level, % | 8.2 | 14.0 | 0.004 |
| Stroke, % | 1.4 | 3.4 | 0.028 |
| Glaucoma, % | 1.4 | 89.9 | <0.001 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mean (SD) mmHg | 135.0 (18.4) | 141.0 (19.6) | <0.001 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mean (SD) mmHg | 82.5 (11.3) | 83.7 (11.8) | 0.178 |
| Smoking status, % current/ever | 54.0 | 61.8 | 0.038 |
| Social class, % non-manual | 60.0 | 66.5 | 0.080 |
| Education level, % higher | 52.9 | 49.7 | 0.397 |
aDichotomous covariables; p-value for independence calculated using Chi-squared test. Continuous variables; p-value for difference calculated from unpaired Welch’s T-test.
SD, standard deviation.