Table 1.
Characteristics of the cohort, stratified by oral GC therapy status during follow-up
| All subjects | Never users | Ever users | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients, n (%) | 16,762 | 8395 (50.1) | 8367 (49.9) |
| Follow-up time, total (person-years) | 111,099 | 66,560 | 44,538 |
| Females, n (%) | 11,748 (70.1) | 5945 (70.8) | 5803 (69.4) |
| Age at baseline (years), mean (SD) | 60.2 (14.6) | 58.2 (14.9) | 62.1 (14.1) |
| Body Mass Index at baseline | |||
| Mean (SD) | 26.8 (5.6) | 26.9 (5.5) | 26.8 (5.71) |
| Missing (%) | 2763 (16.5) | 1483 (17.7) | 1280 (15.3) |
| Smoking status at baseline, n (%) | |||
| Non smoker | 7832 (46.7) | 4115 (49.0) | 3717 (44.4) |
| Ex smoker | 3192 (19.0) | 1489 (17.7) | 1703 (20.4) |
| Current smoker | 5227 (31.2) | 2525 (30.1) | 2702 (32.3) |
| Missing | 511 (3.1) | 266 (3.17) | 245 (2.93) |
| Socioeconomic status quintile at baseline, n (%) | |||
| First (least deprived) | 3672 (21.9) | 1871 (22.3) | 1801 (21.5) |
| Second | 4040 (24.1) | 2031 (24.2) | 2009 (24.5) |
| Third | 3566 (21.3) | 1746 (20.8) | 1820 (21.8) |
| Fourth | 3213 (19.2) | 1601 (19.1) | 1612 (19.3) |
| Fifth (most deprived) | 2204 (13.2) | 1112 (13.3) | 1092 (13.1) |
| Missing | 67 (0.4) | 34 (0.4) | 33 (0.4) |
| Prior history of GC use, n (%) | 4138 (24.7) | 484 (5.80) | 3661 (43.8) |
| Charlson comorbidity index at baseline, mean (SD) | 1.32 (0.70) | 1.25 (0.64) | 1.39 (0.76) |
| Methotroxate ever during follow-up, n (%) | 8949 (53.4) | 4020 (47.9) | 4929 (58.9) |
| Hydroxycholoroquine ever during follow-up, n (%) | 3728 (22.2) | 1726 (20.6) | 2002 (23.9) |
| Sulfasalazine ever during follow-up, n (%) | 4793 (28.6) | 2249 (26.8) | 2544 (30.4) |
| Leflunomide ever during follow-up, n (%) | 1465 (8.74) | 455 (5.42) | 1010 (12.1) |
| Other DMARDs ever during follow-up, n (%)a | 4304 (25.7) | 1683 (20.1) | 2621 (31.3) |
aOther DMARDS: penicillamine, azathioprine, cyclosporin, injectable gold