Table 1. Characteristics of 286,680 oral glucocorticoid users according to sex, age, glucocorticoid type, dose, and morbidity as of the date of cessation.
| Characteristics | Number (%) |
|---|---|
| Sex | |
| Female | 163,077 (57) |
| Male | 123,603 (43) |
| Age, years | |
| 0–19 | 4,188 (1.5) |
| 20–39 | 21,806 (7.6) |
| 40–59 | 55,894 (20) |
| 60–79 | 140,056 (49) |
| ≥80 | 64,736 (23) |
| Type of glucocorticoid use (last prescription) | |
| Betamethasone | 68 (0.02) |
| Dexamethasone | 215 (0.07) |
| Methylprednisolone | 6,126 (2.1) |
| Prednisolone | 280,010 (98) |
| Prednisone | 0 (0) |
| Hydrocortisone | 261 (0.09) |
| Cumulative dose a | |
| < 0.5 g | 21,114 (7.4) |
| 0.5–5 g | 171,566 (60) |
| 5+ g | 94,000 (33) |
| Average daily dose a | |
| < 5 mg /day | 86,099 (30) |
| 5–9 mg/day | 114,194 (40) |
| 10–20 mg/day | 57,970 (20) |
| 20 + mg/day | 28,417 (9.9) |
| Morbidity | |
| Polymyalgia rheumatica/ giant cell arteritis | 28,220 (9.8) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 21,256 (7.4) |
| Psoriasis arthritis | 1,943 (0.68) |
| Ankylosing spondylitis | 881 (0.31) |
| Other rheumatological diseases | 9,129 (3.2) |
| Other autoimmune diseases | 1,900 (0.66) |
| Renal diseases | 12,568 (4.4) |
| Cancer | 64,503 (23) |
| Dermatological diseases | 1,851 (0.65) |
| Ulcerative colitis | 10,841 (3.8) |
| Crohn’s disease | 6,264 (2.2) |
| Ashma | 29,573 (10) |
| COPD | 63,685 (22) |
| Multiple sclerosis | 1,656 (0.58) |
| Concomitant glucocorticoid treatmentb | |
| Locally acting (inhaled, acting on the intestine, or topical) | 90,937 (32) |
| Injections | 15,971 (5.6) |
a In prednisolone equivalents.
b Defined as prescription redemption throughout the observation period.