Table 1.
Baseline Covariates by Treatment Group in the Primary Prevention Cohorts of Pravastatin vs Simvastatin and Rosuvastatin vs Atorvastatin After Propensity Score Matching (Simvastatin vs Atorvastatin in Appendix Table 4)
| Covariate | Low-intensity statin therapy | Moderate- to high-intensity statin therapy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pravastatin N = 9,703 |
Simvastatin N = 9,703 |
ASD (%) | Rosuvastatin N = 7,032 |
Atorvastatin N = 7,032 |
ASD (%) | |
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 63.1 (9.8) | 63.0 (9.8) | 1.1 | 61.0 (9.9) | 61.1 (9.9) | −1.0 |
| Male, n (%) | 4,887 (50.4) | 4,960 (51.1) | −1.5 | 3,411 (48.5) | 3,364 (47.8) | 1.3 |
| Current smoker*, n (%) | 1,950 (20.1) | 2,009 (20.7) | −1.5 | 1,376 (19.6) | 1,321 (18.8) | 2.0 |
| >14 alcohol units/week*, n (%) | 809 (8.3) | 824 (8.5) | −0.6 | 709 (10.1) | 698 (9.9) | 0.5 |
| Obesity*, n (%) | 2,531 (26.1) | 2,547 (26.2) | −0.4 | 2,104 (29.9) | 2,109 (30.0) | −0.2 |
| Comorbidities, n (%)—at any time before the cohort entry date, if not specified otherwise | ||||||
| Hyperlipidemia | 4,912 (50.6) | 4,867 (50.2) | 0.9 | 4,877 (69.4) | 4,916 (69.9) | −1.2 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 2,097 (21.6) | 2,165 (22.3) | −1.7 | 1,505 (21.4) | 1,497 (21.3) | 0.3 |
| Hypertension | 4,750 (49.0) | 4,754 (49.0) | −0.1 | 3,614 (51.4) | 3,663 (52.1) | −1.4 |
| Heart failure | 400 (4.1) | 375 (3.9) | 1.3 | 116 (1.6) | 124 (1.8) | −0.9 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 790 (8.1) | 716 (7.4) | 2.9 | 216 (3.1) | 219 (3.1) | −0.2 |
| Ischemic heart disease | 2,629 (27.1) | 2,619 (27.0) | 0.2 | 698 (9.9) | 713 (10.1) | −0.7 |
| Peripheral arterial disease | 492 (5.1) | 464 (4.8) | 1.3 | 148 (2.1) | 132 (1.9) | 1.6 |
| Hemorrhagic stroke | 82 (0.8) | 99 (1.0) | −1.8 | 30 (0.4) | 29 (0.4) | 0.2 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 575 (5.9) | 535 (5.5) | 1.8 | 482 (6.9) | 487 (6.9) | −0.3 |
| Severe liver impairment | 27 (0.3) | 34 (0.4) | −1.3 | X | 5 (0.1) | X |
| Hypothyroidism | 658 (6.8) | 641 (6.6) | 0.7 | 521 (7.4) | 505 (7.2) | 0.9 |
| Hyperthyroidism | 161 (1.7) | 160 (1.6) | 0.1 | 104 (1.5) | 103 (1.5) | 0.1 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 166 (1.7) | 163 (1.7) | 0.2 | 97 (1.4) | 107 (1.5) | −1.2 |
| Osteoarthritis | 1,862 (19.2) | 1,812 (18.7) | 1.3 | 1,242 (17.7) | 1,272 (18.1) | −1.1 |
| Pre-existing muscle complaints | 842 (8.7) | 830 (8.6) | 0.4 | 574 (8.2) | 571 (8.1) | 0.2 |
| Musculoskeletal injuries | 2,821 (29.1) | 2,843 (29.3) | −0.5 | 2,139 (30.4) | 2,139 (30.4) | 0.0 |
| COPD | 439 (4.5) | 446 (4.6) | −0.3 | 228 (3.2) | 238 (3.4) | −0.8 |
| Macular degeneration | 84 (0.9) | 82 (0.8) | 0.2 | 37 (0.5) | 41 (0.6) | −0.8 |
| Falls† | 265 (2.7) | 256 (2.6) | 0.6 | 175 (2.5) | 189 (2.7) | −1.3 |
| Pressure ulcer† | 54 (0.6) | 60 (0.6) | −0.8 | 26 (0.4) | 19 (0.3) | 1.8 |
| Incontinence† | 70 (0.7) | 66 (0.7) | 0.5 | 53 (0.8) | 59 (0.8) | −1.0 |
| Peripheral venous thrombosis† | 155 (1.6) | 169 (1.7) | −1.1 | 98 (1.4) | 100 (1.4) | −0.2 |
| Pneumonia† | 66 (0.7) | 71 (0.7) | −0.6 | 27 (0.4) | 33 (0.5) | −1.3 |
| Dysphagia† | 65 (0.7) | 56 (0.6) | 1.2 | 30 (0.4) | 34 (0.5) | −0.8 |
| Anemia† | 207 (2.1) | 230 (2.4) | −1.6 | 94 (1.3) | 91 (1.3) | 0.4 |
| Comedication, n (%)—in the 180 days before the cohort entry date | ||||||
| Fibrates | 131 (1.4) | 138 (1.4) | −0.6 | 174 (2.5) | 175 (2.5) | −0.1 |
| Amiodarone | 185 (1.9) | 157 (1.6) | 2.2 | 21 (0.3) | 24 (0.3) | −0.8 |
| Systemic corticosteroids | 380 (3.9) | 400 (4.1) | −1.0 | 215 (3.1) | 223 (3.2) | −0.7 |
| Antipsychotics | 41 (0.4) | 39 (0.4) | 0.3 | 44 (0.6) | 41 (0.6) | 0.6 |
| H2-receptor antagonists | 539 (5.6) | 531 (5.5) | 0.4 | 196 (2.8) | 204 (2.9) | −0.7 |
| Benzodiazepines | 842 (8.7) | 810 (8.3) | 1.2 | 527 (7.5) | 520 (7.4) | 0.4 |
| Number of cardiovascular drug classes | ||||||
| 0 | 1,760 (18.1) | 1,788 (18.4) | −0.7 | 2,240 (31.9) | 2,197 (31.2) | 1.3 |
| 1 to 3 | 5,807 (59.8) | 5,835 (60.1) | −0.6 | 4,063 (57.8) | 4,059 (57.7) | 0.1 |
| 4 to 10 | 2,136 (22.0) | 2,080 (21.4) | 1.4 | 729 (10.4) | 776 (11.0) | −2.2 |
| Number of general practitioner visits‡, mean (SD) | 20.6 (13.4) | 20.6 (13.1) | −0.1 | 19.0 (12.2) | 19.0 (12.6) | 0.3 |
| Hospitalization†, n (%) | 2,743 (28.3) | 2,787 (28.7) | −1.0 | 1,727 (24.6) | 1,717 (24.4) | 0.3 |
| Daily statin dose (mg), n (%) | ||||||
| 20 (P), 10 (S) | 4,405 (45.4) | 4,453 (45.9) | −1.0 | NA | NA | |
| 40 (P), 20 (S) | 5,298 (54.6) | 5,250 (54.1) | 1.0 | NA | NA | |
| 40 (S), 5 (R), 10 (A) | NA | NA | 695 (9.9) | 714 (10.2) | −0.9 | |
| 80 (S), 10 (R), 20 (A) | NA | NA | 6,088 (86.6) | 6,069 (86.3) | 0.8 | |
| 20 (R), 40 (A) | NA | NA | 226 (3.2) | 228 (3.2) | −0.2 | |
| 40 (R), 80 (A) | NA | NA | 23 (0.3) | 21 (0.3) | 0.5 | |
| Cohort entry date, n (%) | ||||||
| 2000–2001 | 2,912 (30.0) | 2,912 (30.0) | 0.0 | NA | NA | |
| 2002–2003 | 4,202 (43.3) | 4,202 (43.3) | 0.0 | 1,410 (20.1) | 1,410 (20.1) | 0.0 |
| 2004–2005 | 1,408 (14.5) | 1,408 (14.5) | 0.0 | 3,132 (44.5) | 3,132 (44.5) | 0.0 |
| 2006–2007 | 321 (3.3) | 321 (3.3) | 0.0 | 1,263 (18.0) | 1,263 (18.0) | 0.0 |
| 2008–2009 | 214 (2.2) | 214 (2.2) | 0.0 | 556 (7.9) | 556 (7.9) | 0.0 |
| 2010–2011 | 246 (2.5) | 246 (2.5) | 0.0 | 338 (4.8) | 338 (4.8) | 0.0 |
| 2012–2013 | 284 (2.9) | 284 (2.9) | 0.0 | 144 (2.0) | 144 (2.0) | 0.0 |
| 2014–2015 | 88 (0.9) | 88 (0.9) | 0.0 | 110 (1.6) | 110 (1.6) | 0.0 |
| 2016–2017 | 28 (0.3) | 28 (0.3) | 0.0 | 79 (1.1) | 79 (1.1) | 0.0 |
ASD absolute standardized difference, SD standard deviation, X cell contains <5 patients (not shown owing to ethics regulations to preserve confidentiality), COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, P pravastatin, S simvastatin, R rosuvastatin, A atorvastatin, NA not applicable
*Last record before the cohort entry date
†Assessed in the 3 years before the cohort entry date
‡Assessed in the 1 year before the cohort entry date