Table 1. Baseline Characteristics of the Primary Prevention Cohort.
| Characteristic | Individuals, No. (%) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall (N = 27 463) | Before weighting | After weighting | |||
| Discontinuation group (n = 8311) | Continuation group (n = 19 152) | Discontinuation group (n = 8310) | Continuation group (n = 19 153) | ||
| Sex | |||||
| Female | 18 134 (66.0) | 5854 (70.4) | 12 280 (64.1) | 5487 (66.0) | 12 648 (66.0) |
| Male | 9329 (34.0) | 2457 (29.6) | 6872 (35.9) | 2823 (34.0) | 6506 (34.0) |
| Age, y | |||||
| Median (IQR) | 79 (77-83) | 80 (77-83) | 79 (76-82) | 79 (77-83) | 79 (77-83) |
| 75-84 | 23 233 (84.6) | 6704 (80.7) | 16 529 (86.3) | 7049 (84.8) | 16 169 (84.4) |
| ≥85 | 4230 (15.4) | 1607 (19.3) | 2623 (13.7) | 1261 (15.2) | 2984 (15.6) |
| Statin intensity | |||||
| Low or moderate | 26 408 (96.2) | 8027 (96.6) | 18 381 (96.0) | 7995 (96.2) | 18 420 (96.2) |
| High | 1055 (3.8) | 284 (3.4) | 771 (4.0) | 315 (3.8) | 734 (3.8) |
| Unique medications | |||||
| Median (IQR) | 6 (4-9) | 6 (4-8) | 6 (4-9) | 6 (4-9) | 6 (4-9) |
| 0-4 | 8885 (32.4) | 2866 (34.5) | 6019 (31.4) | 2691 (32.4) | 6172 (32.2) |
| 5-9 | 13 366 (48.7) | 3935 (47.3) | 9431 (49.2) | 4006 (48.2) | 9352 (48.8) |
| ≥10 | 5212 (19.0) | 1510 (18.2) | 3702 (19.3) | 1613 (19.4) | 3629 (18.9) |
| Comorbidities | |||||
| Dementia | 2858 (10.4) | 1098 (13.2) | 1760 (9.2) | 870 (10.5) | 1999 (10.4) |
| Diabetes | 9524 (34.7) | 2539 (30.5) | 6985 (36.5) | 2885 (34.7) | 6643 (34.7) |
| Atrial fibrillation or flutter | 2819 (10.3) | 777 (9.3) | 2042 (10.7) | 853 (10.3) | 1967 (10.3) |
| Heart failure | 1186 (4.3) | 337 (4.1) | 849 (4.4) | 361 (4.3) | 829 (4.3) |
| Hypertension | 9347 (34.0) | 2752 (33.1) | 6595 (34.4) | 2845 (34.2) | 6528 (34.1) |
| Parkinson disease | 196 (0.7) | 75 (0.9) | 121 (0.6) | 60 (0.7) | 137 (0.7) |
| COPD | 5691 (20.7) | 1730 (20.8) | 3961 (20.7) | 1722 (20.7) | 3970 (20.7) |
| Depression | 565 (2.1) | 189 (2.3) | 376 (2.0) | 174 (2.1) | 396 (2.1) |
| Schizophrenia | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
| Cancer | 4687 (17.1) | 1399 (16.8) | 3288 (17.2) | 1420 (17.1) | 3269 (17.1) |
| Medications | |||||
| Low-dose aspirin | 12 480 (45.4) | 3549 (42.7) | 8931 (46.6) | 3785 (45.5) | 8708 (45.5) |
| ADP receptor inhibitors | 297 (1.1) | 93 (1.1) | 204 (1.1) | 90 (1.1) | 208 (1.1) |
| Anticoagulants | 2304 (8.4) | 583 (7.0) | 1721 (9.0) | 695 (8.4) | 1608 (8.4) |
| Thiazides | 7796 (28.4) | 2314 (27.8) | 5482 (28.6) | 2360 (28.4) | 5437 (28.4) |
| Spironolactone | 901 (3.3) | 256 (3.1) | 645 (3.4) | 270 (3.2) | 627 (3.3) |
| β blockers | 7432 (27.1) | 2063 (24.8) | 5369 (28.0) | 2244 (27.0) | 5180 (27.0) |
| ACEIs or ARBs | 16 297 (59.3) | 4651 (56.0) | 11 646 (60.8) | 4936 (59.4) | 11 368 (59.4) |
| CCBs | 10 122 (36.9) | 2849 (34.3) | 7273 (38.0) | 3070 (36.9) | 7064 (36.9) |
| Antidepressants | 4374 (15.9) | 1369 (16.5) | 3005 (15.7) | 1331 (16.0) | 3058 (16.0) |
| Antipsychotics | 678 (2.5) | 194 (2.3) | 484 (2.5) | 207 (2.5) | 474 (2.5) |
| NSAIDs (nonselective) | 3789 (13.8) | 1163 (14.0) | 2626 (13.7) | 1148 (13.8) | 2642 (13.8) |
| COX-2 inhibitors | 38 (0.1) | 10 (0.1) | 28 (0.1) | 11 (0.1) | 26 (0.1) |
| Cohabitation status | |||||
| Alone | 12 559 (45.7) | 3603 (43.4) | 8956 (46.8) | 3794 (45.7) | 8753 (45.7) |
| Cohabiting | 14 904 (54.3) | 4708 (56.6) | 10 196 (53.2) | 4516 (54.3) | 10 400 (54.3) |
Abbreviations: ACEIs, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors; ADP, adenosine diphosphate receptor; ARBs, angiotensin receptor blockers; CCB, calcium channel blocker; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; COX-2, cyclooxygenase-2; NR, not reported (numbers were <10); NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.