Table 1.
Patient characteristics.
| Characteristics | Non-COPD (n = 4469) | COPD (n = 141) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | |||
| 40–59 | 2447 (54.8) | 31 (22.0) | < 0.001 |
| ≥ 60 | 2022 (45.2) | 110 (78.0) | |
| Sex, male | 1636 (36.6) | 74 (52.5) | < 0.001 |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Hypertension | 1432 (32.0) | 85 (60.3) | < 0.001 |
| Diabetes | 1110 (24.8) | 74 (52.5) | < 0.001 |
| Ischemic heart disease | 309 (6.9) | 33 (23.4) | < 0.001 |
| Angina pectoris | 286 (6.4) | 28 (19.9) | < 0.001 |
| Myocardial infarction | 62 (1.4) | 8 (5.7) | < 0.001 |
| Heart failure | 232 (5.2) | 39 (27.7) | < 0.001 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 450 (10.1) | 38 (26.9) | < 0.001 |
| Rheumatological disease | 251 (5.6) | 12 (8.5) | 0.145 |
| Liver disease | 229 (5.1) | 11 (7.8) | 0.159 |
| Malignancies | 276 (6.2) | 20 (14.2) | < 0.001 |
| CCI score | |||
| 0–1 | 2354 (52.7) | 13 (9.2) | < 0.001 |
| 2 | 739 (16.5) | 30 (21.3) | |
| 3 | 511 (11.4) | 11 (7.8) | |
| ≥ 4 | 865 (19.4) | 87 (61.7) | |
| MPR group* | |||
| Low | – | 102 (72.3) | < 0.001 |
| Partial | – | 5 (3.6) | |
| Complete | – | 34 (24.1) | |
| Number of exacerbations† | |||
| 0 | – | 103 (73.1) | < 0.001 |
| 1 | – | 20 (14.2) | |
| ≥ 2 | – | 18 (12.8) | |
Data are presented as numbers (%).
COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, CCI Charlson comorbidity index, MPR medication possession ratio.
*Data are only for COPD patients. MPR was calculated as the sum of all days’ supplies of prescriptions filled divided by the time from the first filling of a prescription until the end of the measurement period. Patients were categorized into three adherence groups: low (MPR < 0.5), partial (MPR 0.5–0.79), and complete (MPR ≥ 0.8) adherence.
†Data are only for COPD patients. Exacerbation was defined when the diagnostic code for COPD (J43 and J44 except J43.0) was present in conjunction with any of the following: (1) treatment with an antibiotic or systemic corticosteroids, (2) hospitalization, or (3) an emergency room visit.