Table 1. Characteristics of the study population at drug initiation. Data are n (column %).
| ACEI/ARB initiators (n=86,652) | CCB initiators (n=59,958) | |
|---|---|---|
| Male sex | 41,222 (47.6) | 24,631 (41.1) |
| Age (years) | ||
| 18-44 | 8,395 (9.7) | 4,640 (7.7) |
| 45-49 | 7,466 (8.6) | 3,363 (5.6) |
| 50-54 | 9,067 (10.5) | 4,557 (7.6) |
| 55-59 | 8,963 (10.3) | 6,473 (10.8) |
| 60-64 | 10,181 (11.7) | 8,094 (13.5) |
| 65-69 | 10,430 (12.0) | 8,563 (14.3) |
| 70-74 | 10,048 (11.6) | 8,150 (13.6) |
| 75-79 | 9,360 (10.8) | 7,327 (12.2) |
| 80-84 | 7,211 (8.3) | 5,234 (8.7) |
| 85+ | 5,531 (6.4) | 3,557 (5.9) |
| Calendar period | ||
| 2004-2006 | 22,925 (26.5) | 11,834 (19.7) |
| 2007-2009 | 25,386 (29.3) | 14,792 (24.7) |
| 2010-2012 | 20,406 (23.5) | 16,088 (26.8) |
| 2013-2016 | 17,935 (20.7) | 17,244 (28.8) |
| Co-morbidities | ||
| Hypertension | 54,917 (63.4) | 42,816 (71.4) |
| Ischaemic heart disease | 20,542 (23.7) | 11,591 (19.3) |
| Heart failure | 5,428 (6.3) | 1,082 (1.8) |
| Diabetes | 21,957 (25.3) | 11,447 (19.1) |
| Chronic hypoxic conditions | 16,813 (19.4) | 12,900 (21.5) |
| CKD | ||
| None | 66,335 (76.6) | 45,602 (76.1) |
| Stage 3a | 11,267 (13.0) | 6,812 (11.4) |
| Stage 3b | 3,898 (4.5) | 2,702 (4.5) |
| Stage 4 | 791 (0.9) | 913 (1.5) |
| Stage 5 | 120 (0.1) | 244 (0.4) |
| Missing | 4,241 (4.9) | 3,685 (6.1) |
| Co-prescribed medication | ||
| Oral bone marrow suppressing drugsa | 1,713 (2.0) | 1,495 (2.5) |
| Drugs that can cause bleedinga | 29,455 (34.0) | 16,274 (27.1) |
| Pre-initiation haemoglobin (g/dL) | ||
| <12 | 10,680 (12.3) | 7,960 (13.3) |
| 12-13.9 | 32,848 (37.9) | 25,734 (42.9) |
| 14-15.9 | 35,093 (40.5) | 22,127 (36.9) |
| ≥16 | 8,031 (9.3) | 4,137 (6.9) |
ACEI/ARB, ACE inhibitor / angiotensin receptor blocker; CCB, calcium channel blocker; CKD, chronic kidney disease.
a
See Table S1 in the Appendix for full list of medications