Table 1. Baseline Characteristics of Patients With Cataract in the Medicare and VHA Systems From 2002 to 2012.
| Characteristic | No. (%) of Medicare Patients (n = 1 156 211) | No. (%) of VHA Patients (n = 1 917 254) |
|---|---|---|
| Age group, y | ||
| <65 | 0 | 905 455 (47.2) |
| 65-69 | 407 103 (35.2) | 288 052 (15.0) |
| 70-74 | 273 442 (23.7) | 261 747 (13.7) |
| 75-79 | 227 950 (19.7) | 239 197 (12.5) |
| 80-84 | 152 479 (13.2) | 157 718 (8.2) |
| ≥85 | 95 237 (8.2) | 65 085 (3.4) |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 473 175 (40.9) | 1 852 158 (96.6) |
| Female | 683 036 (59.1) | 65 096 (3.4) |
| Race/ethnicity | ||
| White | 1 012 670 (87.6) | 539 569 (28.1) |
| Black | 84 110 (7.3) | 134 932 (7.0) |
| Hispanic | 18 914 (1.6) | 54 366 (2.8) |
| Other or unknown | 40 517 (3.5) | 1 188 387 (62.0) |
| Region of US residence | ||
| East | 478 961 (41.4) | 694 751 (36.2) |
| West | 190 387 (16.5) | 363 615 (19.0) |
| Midwest | 291 188 (25.2) | 432 892 (22.6) |
| South | 195 675 (16.9) | 362 352 (18.9) |
| Unknown | 0 | 63 644 (3.3) |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index scorea | ||
| 0-2 | 876 821 (75.8) | 897 734 (46.8) |
| ≥3 | 279 390 (24.2) | 1 019 520 (53.2) |
| Systemic comorbidities | ||
| Cardiovascular diseaseb | 370 506 (32.0) | 518 427 (27.0) |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 227 065 (19.6) | 459 520 (24.0) |
| Chronic renal disease | 70 119 (6.1) | 132 127 (6.9) |
| Liver or gastrointestinal diseasec | 56 538 (4.9) | 150 793 (7.9) |
| Diabetes | 312 087 (27.0) | 617 872 (32.2) |
| Malignant neoplasmd | 161 813 (14.0) | 255 584 (13.3) |
| Connective tissue disease | 46 316 (4.0) | 44 333 (2.3) |
| AIDS | 730 (0.1) | 8251 (0.4) |
| Dementia | 43 943 (3.8) | 28 009 (1.5) |
| Hemiplegia | 12 036 (1.0) | 29 112 (1.5) |
| Ocular comorbidities | ||
| Age-related macular degeneration | 191 401 (16.6) | 221 439 (11.6) |
| Diabetic retinopathy | 65 695 (5.7) | 212 613 (11.1) |
| Glaucoma | 223 066 (19.3) | 401 371 (20.9) |
Abbreviation: VHA, Veterans Health Administration.
a
Assigns patients a score of 0 to 6 where 0 indicates lowest risk and 6 highest risk of mortality.
b
Includes myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, and cerebrovascular disease.
c
Includes peptic ulcer disease and mild, moderate, and severe liver disease.
d
Includes solid neoplasm, metastatic tumor, leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.