Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of PD caregivers and matched controlsa
| PD caregivers | Matched controls | P f | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 1211) | (n = 6055) | ||||
| Demographic characteristicsb | |||||
| Sex, n (%) | — | ||||
| Female | 656 | (54.2%) | 3280 | (54.2%) | |
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 55.73 | (6.13) | 55.73 | (6.13) | — |
| Age distribution, n (%) | — | ||||
| 18‐30 years | 1 | (0.1%) | 5 | (0.1%) | |
| 31‐44 years | 70 | (5.8%) | 350 | (5.8%) | |
| 45‐54 years | 347 | (28.7%) | 1735 | (28.7%) | |
| 55‐64 years | 793 | (65.5%) | 3965 | (65.5%) | |
| Year of index date, n (%) | — | ||||
| 1998‐2001 | 122 | (10.1%) | 610 | (10.1%) | |
| 2002‐2005 | 322 | (26.6%) | 1610 | (26.6%) | |
| 2006‐2009 | 359 | (29.6%) | 1795 | (29.6%) | |
| 2010‐2013 | 408 | (33.7%) | 2040 | (33.7%) | |
| Region, n (%)c | — | ||||
| Northeast | 262 | (21.6%) | 1310 | (21.6%) | |
| Midwest | 299 | (24.7%) | 1495 | (24.7%) | |
| South | 463 | (38.2%) | 2315 | (38.2%) | |
| West | 187 | (15.4%) | 935 | (15.4%) | |
| Insurance type | |||||
| Preferred provider organization | 721 | (59.5%) | 3583 | (59.2%) | 0.613 |
| Point of service | 291 | (24.0%) | 1425 | (23.5%) | |
| Indemnity | 151 | (12.5%) | 748 | (12.4%) | |
| Other | 48 | (4.0%) | 299 | (4.9%) | |
| Comorbidities, n (%)d | |||||
| Select comorbidities | |||||
| Anxiety | 36 | (3.0%) | 128 | (2.1%) | 0.070 |
| Depression | 56 | (4.6%) | 244 | (4.0%) | 0.351 |
| Sleep problem | 18 | (1.5%) | 64 | (1.1%) | 0.208 |
| Backache | 200 | (16.5%) | 755 | (12.5%) | < 0.001g |
| Hypertension | 297 | (24.5%) | 1231 | (20.3%) | 0.001g |
| GERD/heartburn | 55 | (4.5%) | 203 | (3.4%) | 0.046g |
| Irritable bowel syndrome | 18 | (1.5%) | 36 | (0.6%) | 0.001g |
| Angina | 13 | (1.1%) | 53 | (0.9%) | 0.498 |
| Migraine/headache | 39 | (3.2%) | 178 | (2.9%) | 0.607 |
| Hearing loss | 14 | (1.2%) | 50 | (0.8%) | 0.261 |
| Arthritis‐related condition | 200 | (16.5%) | 939 | (15.5%) | 0.373 |
| Cataract | 32 | (2.6%) | 148 | (2.4%) | 0.686 |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index, mean (SD)e | 0.31 | (0.75) | 0.30 | (0.82) | 0.614 |
GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disease; ICD‐9, International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision; n, number; PD, Parkinson's disease; SD, standard deviation.
The baseline period was defined as the 6 months prior to the index date.
The PD caregivers and matched controls were matched on sex, age in years, index year, and region.
The distribution of region is reflective of the regional distribution of claims data available and not the regional distribution of PD caregivers.
Comorbidities were defined using ICD‐9 codes during the baseline period.
The 17 conditions included in the Charlson Comorbidity Index were identified using ICD‐9 diagnosis codes reported by Romano et al25 during the baseline period.
P values were estimated by generalized estimating equations, which account for the correlation between the PD caregivers and their matched controls.
Statistically signicant at P < 0.05.