Table 1.
Characteristics of Adults With and Without Symptoms While on a Statin
| Current statin users | Former Statin Users | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At Least One Symptom N=2221 |
No Symptoms N=3095 |
p-value | At Least One Symptom N=379 |
No Symptoms N=221 |
p-value | |
| Age | 67.0 (60.0, 74.0) | 68.0 (60.0, 75.0) | 0.007 | 69.0 (61.0, 76.0) | 68.0 (58.0, 76.0) | 0.21 |
| Female | 47.4% | 41.0% | <0.0001 | 60.7% | 52.5% | 0.050 |
| Race | ||||||
| White | 84.9% | 86.3% | 0.52 | 87.6% | 85.0% | 0.50 |
| Black/African American | 12.7% | 11.6% | . | 11.1% | 12.7% | . |
| Asian | 2.1% | 1.8% | . | 1.3% | 1.8% | . |
| Other | 0.3% | 0.2% | . | 0.0% | 0.5% | |
| Ethnicity | ||||||
| Hispanic/Latino | 9.1% | 12.2% | 0.0004 | 8.5% | 17.8% | 0.0007 |
| Insurance | ||||||
| Private | 58.5% | 58.5% | 0.94 | 55.0% | 55.5% | 0.16 |
| Government | 39.8% | 39.7% | . | 41.8% | 38.2% | . |
| Other (non-U.S.)/none | 1.8% | 1.8% | . | 3.2% | 6.4% | . |
| Highest level of education | ||||||
| At least some college | 66.2% | 61.3% | 0.0003 | 65.8% | 67.7% | 0.63 |
| Obese (BMI ≥30) | 52.1% | 46.2% | <0.0001 | 54.8% | 42.2% | 0.003 |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | 128.0 (118.0, 140.0) | 128.0 (118.0, 138.0) | 0.04 | 130.0 (120.0, 140.0) | 130.0 (120.0, 140.0) | 0.41 |
| Diastolic BP (mmHg) | 76.0 (70.0, 80.0) | 76.0 (70.0, 80.0) | 0.58 | 75.0 (70.0, 82.0) | 76.0 (70.0, 80.0) | 0.79 |
| High-intensity statin | 30.3% | 28.2% | 0.11 | - | - | |
| Current non-statin LLT | 27.4% | 25.0% | 0.049 | 30.5% | 22.0% | 0.026 |
| CAD | 42.1% | 38.1% | 0.004 | 35.6% | 27.3% | 0.036 |
| Peripheral arterial disease | 8.0% | 7.6% | 0.63 | 7.9% | 5.0% | 0.17 |
| Prior stroke or TIA | 8.2% | 6.9% | 0.06 | 7.7% | 6.8% | 0.71 |
| Diabetes | 44.6% | 39.2% | <0.0001 | 38.3% | 37.3% | 0.81 |
| Hypertension | 80.8% | 80.9% | 0.89 | 78.1% | 73.2% | 0.17 |
| Current smoker | 10.3% | 11.7% | 0.11 | 9.5% | 10.0% | 0.84 |
| History of elevated liver function tests | 3.2% | 2.9% | 0.58 | 4.5% | 5.0% | 0.78 |
| History of myopathy | 4.2% | 3.0% | 0.03 | 7.4% | 4.6% | 0.17 |
| Thyroid disease | 18.0% | 14.7% | 0.001 | 19.6% | 17.4% | 0.50 |
| Dialysis or CKD | 10.2% | 10.2% | 0.91 | 10.6% | 12.7% | 0.42 |
| LDL-C | 89.0 (72.0–111.0) | 86.0 (69.0–107.0) | 0.0005 | 139.0 (115.0, 165.0) | 128.0 (100.0, 152.0) | 0.0003 |
| Statins are effective % agree to strongly agree |
72.4% | 79.7% | <0.0001 | 53.8% | 58.1% | 0.10 |
| Statins are safe % agree to strongly agree |
49.3% | 66.5% | <0.0001 | 22.3% | 43.9% | <0.0001 |
| Statins cause liver damage % agree to strongly agree |
38.7% | 27.8% | <0.0001 | 44.0% | 30.8% | <0.0001 |
| Statins cause muscle aches % agree to strongly agree |
62.2% | 28.9% | <0.0001 | 80.4% | 28.9% | <0.0001 |
| Statins cause memory loss % agree to strongly agree |
21.2% | 8.8% | <0.0001 | 23.0% | 6.7% | <0.0001 |
| How often do you worry about heart attack or stroke? % often or occasionally |
44.7% | 32.6% | <0.0001 | 51.5% | 41.5% | 0.022 |
| How much do you trust your doctor with decisions about your medical care? % completely |
61.8% | 69.4% | <0.0001 | 56.8% | 62.2% | 0.19 |
BMI indicates body mass index; BP, blood pressure; CAD, coronary artery disease; CKD, chronic kidney disease; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LLT, lipid-lowering therapy; TIA, transient ischemic attack; U.S., United States
High-intensity statin defined as atorvastatin ≥40 mg, rosuvastatin ≥20 mg. Statin intensity not assessed in former statin users.
Categorical variables presented as median (25th, 75th percentile)