Table 1.
Characteristics of study base at enrollment.
| Variable | Non-Users N = 584,077 | Talc Users N = 21,575 |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||
| Female | 292,319 (50.1%) | 13,180 (61.1%) |
| Male | 291,758 (49.9%) | 8395 (38.9%) |
| Age (year) a | 40.2 ± 14.7 | 39.0 ± 13.2 |
| Monthly Income b | 21,822 ± 12,575 | 21,630 ± 11,380 |
| Urbanization c | ||
| Level 1 (high) | 173,513 (29.9%) | 5,486 (25.1%) |
| Level 2 (medium) | 249,744 (43.0%) | 9602 (44.7%) |
| Level 3 (low) | 157,831 (27.2%) | 6414 (29.8%) |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index d | ||
| 0–2 | 583,744 (99.94%) | 21,558 (99.92%) |
| >2 | 333 (0.06%) | 17 (0.08%) |
| Follow-up time in month | 196.2 ± 21.7 | 200.3 ± 13.4 |
a Age at the beginning of the study period (1 January 1997); b Counted in New Taiwan Dollar (TWD); c Number of missing = 3062; d The Charlson Comorbidity index was calculated with exclusion of cancer, as these patients were already excluded from the study.