TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics of SSRI initiators
| Citalopram | Escitalopram | Other SSRIs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) | N = 167,366 | N = 40,113 | N = 50,281 |
| Unique individuals a | 146,014 | 37,069 | 44,754 |
| Trials per unique individual, N | |||
| 1 | 117,171 | 27,228 | 31,730 |
| 2 | 36,078 | 9231 | 12,463 |
| 3 | 10,396 | 2697 | 4118 |
| 4 | 2836 | 716 | 1372 |
| 5 | 682 | 173 | 410 |
| 6 | 146 | 38 | 146 |
| 7–8 | 57 | 30 | 42 |
| Sex, female | 106,222 (63.47) | 25,535 (63.66) | 32,859 (65.35) |
| Age, years, 65–74 | 65,030 (38.85) | 16,960 (42.28) | 25,796 (51.30) |
| Age, years, 75–84 | 66,587 (39.79) | 15,321 (38.19) | 17,726 (35.25) |
| Age, years, 85 and above | 35,749 (21.36) | 7832 (19.52) | 6759 (13.44) |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Acute coronary syndrome | 3348 (2.00) | 867 (2.16) | 863 (1.72) |
| Arterial disease | 6135 (3.67) | 1478 (3.68) | 1595 (3.17) |
| Cancer | 21,053 (12.58) | 5458 (13.61) | 5459 (10.86) |
| Cardiac surgery/invasive cardiac procedure | 6514 (3.89) | 1603 (4.00) | 1786 (3.55) |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 15,356 (9.18) | 3405 (8.49) | 2886 (5.74) |
| Heart failure/cardiomyopathy | 11,346 (6.78) | 2707 (6.75) | 2354 (4.68) |
| Serious neurologic disease | 961 (0.57) | 213 (0.53) | 200 (0.40) |
| Other ischemic heart disease | 21,117 (12.62) | 5108 (12.73) | 5354 (10.65) |
| Renal disease | 4037 (2.41) | 964 (2.40) | 819 (1.63) |
| Respiratory disease | 20,781 (12.42) | 4890 (12.19) | 5675 (11.29) |
| Valve disorders | 5590 (3.34) | 1386 (3.46) | 1499 (2.98) |
| Venous thromboembolism | 3878 (2.32) | 986 (2.46) | 1013 (2.01) |
| Comedications | |||
| ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers | 56,074 (33.50) | 13,513 (33.69) | 16,919 (33.65) |
| Anticoagulants | 12,178 (7.28) | 2792 (6.96) | 2896 (5.76) |
| Anxiolytics | 78,435 (46.86) | 20,778 (51.80) | 24,578 (48.88) |
| Beta‐blocker | 40,002 (23.90) | 9248 (23.05) | 11,341 (22.56) |
| Calcium channel blockers | 37,220 (22.24) | 8459 (21.09) | 10,821 (21.52) |
| Corticosteroids, inhalants | 9768 (5.84) | 2453 (6.12) | 3216 (6.40) |
| Antidepressants | 19,535 (11.67) | 7039 (17.55) | 8675 (17.25) |
| Digoxin | 12,211 (7.30) | 2823 (7.04) | 2326 (4.63) |
| Antiepileptic drugs | 8641 (5.16) | 2398 (5.98) | 2889 (5.75) |
| Hormone replacement therapy | 16,750 (10.01) | 4486 (11.18) | 6137 (12.21) |
| Insulin | 5104 (3.05) | 1184 (2.95) | 1398 (2.78) |
| Lipid‐lowering drugs | 43,985 (26.28) | 10,419 (25.97) | 14,001 (27.85) |
| Loop diuretics | 32,785 (19.59) | 7448 (18.57) | 7180 (14.28) |
| Nitrates | 13,039 (7.79) | 2938 (7.32) | 3053 (6.07) |
| NSAIDs | 39,161 (23.40) | 9564 (23.84) | 10,895 (21.67) |
| Opioids | 44,614 (26.66) | 10,977 (27.37) | 11,887 (23.64) |
| Oral corticosteroids | 16,871 (10.08) | 4148 (10.34) | 4383 (8.72) |
| Oral antidiabetics | 12,858 (7.68) | 2880 (7.18) | 3947 (7.85) |
| Other diuretics | 46,096 (27.54) | 10,457 (26.07) | 11,403 (22.68) |
| Anti‐Parkinson’s drug | 4109 (2.46) | 1100 (2.74) | 1055 (2.10) |
| Platelet inhibitors | 66,061 (39.47) | 14,873 (37.08) | 15,700 (31.22) |
| Xantines | 1337 (0.80) | 281 (0.70) | 292 (0.58) |
| Alcohol related diseases and drugs for alcohol misuse | 3798 (2.27) | 1028 (2.56) | 1336 (2.66) |
| Arrhythmia and antiarrhythmic drugs | 22,874 (13.67) | 5371 (13.39) | 5438 (10.82) |
| Obesity and drugs to treat obesity | 3267 (1.95) | 777 (1.94) | 1314 (2.61) |
| Psychiatric disorders and antipsychotics | 22,598 (13.50) | 8082 (20.15) | 7868 (15.65) |
| Smoking‐related disorders and drugs to treat smoking dependence | 27,022 (16.15) | 6321 (15.76) | 7929 (15.77) |
| Thyroid disturbances | 14,639 (8.75) | 3645 (9.09) | 4575 (9.10) |
Abbreviations: ACE, angiotensin‐converting enzyme; NSAIDs, non‐steroid anti‐inflammatory drugs; SSRIs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
a
Except for the number of unique individuals, all counts and percentages refer to the number of person‐trials.