Table 1. Demographics of 326 981 Veterans 75 Years and Older, Free of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, Before and After Propensity Score Overlap Weighting.
| Variable | Crude | After propensity score weighting | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No statin (n = 326 981)a | Statin (n = 57 178) | Standardized difference | No statin (n = 326 981) | Statin (n = 57 178) | Standardized difference | |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 80.7 (4.0) | 81.2 (3.6) | 14.4 | 81.1 (1.5) | 81.1 (3.0) | 0.0 |
| Body mass index, mean, (SD)b | 26.7 (4.4) | 27.5 (4.3) | 18.6 | 27.4 (1.6) | 27.4 (3.6) | 0.0 |
| Sex, % | ||||||
| Men | 97.3 | 97.3 | 0.3 | 97.3 | 97.3 | 0.0 |
| Women | 2.7 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 0.0 |
| Race, %c | ||||||
| White | 90.7 | 90.2 | 1.8 | 90.3 | 90.3 | 0.0 |
| Black/African American | 7.5 | 7.9 | 1.5 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 0.0 |
| Other | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0.0 |
| Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity, % | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
| Smoking status, % | ||||||
| Current | 7.3 | 7.4 | 0.6 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 0.0 |
| Former | 71.9 | 63.5 | 18.2 | 65.7 | 65.7 | 0.0 |
| Never | 20.8 | 29.1 | 19.3 | 26.9 | 26.9 | 0.0 |
| Comorbidities, % | ||||||
| Hypertension | 66.2 | 80.4 | 32.6 | 77.8 | 77.8 | 0.0 |
| Hyperlipidemia | 15.8 | 53.8 | 87.1 | 43.1 | 43.1 | 0.0 |
| Arthritis | 37.7 | 46.0 | 16.8 | 43.9 | 43.9 | 0.0 |
| Cancer | 36.2 | 42.8 | 13.5 | 41.1 | 41.1 | 0.0 |
| Anemia | 16.8 | 19.3 | 6.6 | 18.5 | 18.5 | 0.0 |
| Depression | 12.6 | 15.7 | 9.0 | 14.9 | 14.9 | 0.0 |
| Diabetes | 13.1 | 27.0 | 35.1 | 23.4 | 23.4 | 0.0 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 8.8 | 9.5 | 2.4 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 0.0 |
| Dementia | 8.5 | 7.5 | 3.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 0.0 |
| Fatigue | 5.6 | 6.7 | 4.8 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 0.0 |
| Congestive heart failure | 4.9 | 5.7 | 3.3 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 0.0 |
| Gait abnormality | 4.0 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 0.0 |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder | 2.1 | 3.2 | 6.7 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 0.0 |
| Sleep apnea | 2.0 | 3.0 | 5.9 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 0.0 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 1.1 | 2.3 | 8.8 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0.0 |
| Schizophrenia | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| Liver disease | 0.4 | 0.2 | 3.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Substance abuse | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Medication use, % | ||||||
| Polypharmacy (>5 drug classes) | 38.6 | 63.7 | 51.9 | 58.2 | 58.2 | 0.0 |
| Diuretics | 27.2 | 35.7 | 18.3 | 34.0 | 34.0 | 0.0 |
| ACE inhibitor | 26.2 | 39.6 | 28.8 | 36.6 | 36.6 | 0.0 |
| α-Blocker | 23.4 | 25.1 | 4.1 | 24.8 | 24.8 | 0.0 |
| Calcium channel blocker | 20.0 | 26.9 | 16.3 | 25.4 | 25.4 | 0.0 |
| β-Blocker | 15.7 | 23.1 | 18.9 | 21.5 | 21.5 | 0.0 |
| Angiotensin receptor blocker | 4.0 | 6.4 | 10.9 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 0.0 |
| Nonstatin lipid-lowering drug | 2.5 | 5.1 | 13.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 0.0 |
Abbreviations: ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; BMI, body mass index.
a
All participants entered as statin nonusers. Characteristics are shown for the entire cohort at entry and at the time of first statin prescription for those who initiated a statin.
b
Calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.
c
Race categories were determined according to self-reported responses to fixed categories on enrollment in the Veterans Health Administration. Other race was defined as all responses that are nonwhite, black, or African American, including Native American, Asian, Pacific Islander.