Table 2.
Demographics, clinical characteristics, and healthcare use of case and control patients in the nested case–control.
| Variables | Case (n = 1530) | Controls (n = 14,804) |
|---|---|---|
| Male, n (%) | 727 (47.5) | 7020 (47.4) |
| Age (in years) | ||
| Mean ± SD | 83.4 ± 6.7 | 83.2 ± 6.5 |
| Median (IQR) | 83.6 (9.6) | 83.4 (9.4) |
| Group, n (%) | ||
| 66–74 | 184 (12.0) | 1759 (11.9) |
| 75–84 | 698 (45.6) | 6969 (47.1) |
| 85+ | 648 (42.4) | 6076 (41.0) |
| Charlson score, n (%) | ||
| < 4 | 321 (21) | 4545 (30.7) |
| ≥ 4 | 1209 (79.0) | 10,259 (69.3) |
| Frailty score, n (%) | ||
| < 4 | 111 (7.3) | 1633 (11.0) |
| ≥ 4–8 | 287 (18.8) | 3417 (23.1) |
| ≥ 9–15 | 480 (31.4) | 4888 (33.0) |
| ≥ 16 | 652 (42.6) | 4866 (32.9) |
| Comorbidites at cohort entry, n (%) | ||
| Coronary artery disease (excluding myocardial infarction) | 618 (40.4) | 5696 (38.5) |
| Myocardial infarction | 313 (20.5) | 2756 (18.6) |
| Cardiomyopathy | 53 (3.5) | 725 (4.9) |
| Any cardiac arrhythmia | 636 (41.6) | 6675 (45.1) |
| Atrial fibrillation | 523 (34.2) | 5305 (35.8) |
| Valvular heart disease | 442 (28.9) | 3844 (26.0) |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 71 (4.6) | 627 (4.2) |
| Peripheral artery disease | 292 (19.1) | 2126 (14.4) |
| Hypertension | 754 (49.3) | 8384 (56.6) |
| Dyslipidemia | 476 (31.1) | 5475 (37.0) |
| Diabetes and associated complications | 555 (36.3) | 5093 (34.4) |
| Major bleeding | 183 (12.0) | 1248 (8.4) |
| Major intracranial hemorrhage | 29 (1.9) | 171 (1.2) |
| Major gastrointestinal bleeding | 157 (10.3) | 1102 (7.4) |
| Chronic kidney disease | 788 (51.5) | 6043 (40.8) |
| Chronic kidney disease (CrCl < 30 mL/min/m2) | 207 (13.5) | 1326 (9.0) |
| Acute kidney disease | 287 (18.8) | 2413 (16.3) |
| Anemia | 81 (5.3) | 615 (4.2) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder | 549 (35.9) | 4319 (29.2) |
| Pulmonary edema | 20 (1.3) | 179 (1.2) |
| Pneumonia | 92 (6.0) | 760 (5.1) |
| Liver disease | 23 (1.5) | 127 (0.9) |
| Rheumatic disease | 141 (9.2) | 1165 (7.9) |
| Gastroduodenal ulcers | 27 (1.8) | 359 (2.4) |
| Depression | 32 (2.1) | 265 (1.8) |
| Malign cancer | 286 (18.7) | 2499 (16.9) |
| Medical procedures at cohort entry, n (%) | ||
| Percutaneous coronary intervention—stent/CABG | 144 (9.4) | 1343 (9.1) |
| Medical procedures for a defibrillator | 73 (4.8) | 700 (4.7) |
| CVD drug use (in 3-month prior the case or control selection), n (%) | ||
| Diuretics | 1382 (90.3) | 13,503 (91.2) |
| Loop diuretics | 1371 (89.6) | 13,292 (89.8) |
| Metolazone | 77 (5.0) | 255 (1.7) |
| ACEIs/ARBs | 763 (49.9) | 9485 (64.1) |
| ACEIs | 561 (36.7) | 6756 (45.6) |
| ARBs | 220 (14.4) | 3068 (20.7) |
| Beta-blockers | 921 (60.2) | 9959 (67.3) |
| Metoprolol | 405 (26.5) | 4289 (29.0) |
| Carvedilol | 78 (5.1) | 657 (4.4) |
| Bisoprolol | 377 (24.6) | 4219 (28.5) |
| Other beta-blockers | 77 (5.0) | 942 (6.4) |
| Spironolactone or eplerenone | 324 (21.2) | 2628 (17.8) |
| Digoxin | 331 (21.6) | 3152 (21.3) |
| Hydralazine | 110 (7.2) | 531 (3.6) |
| Nitrates | 697 (45.6) | 5885 (39.8) |
| Statins | 723 (47.3) | 8399 (56.7) |
| Antiarrhythmic (amiodarone or propafenone) | 169 (11.1) | 1405 (9.5) |
| Warfarin | 567 (37.1) | 6179 (41.7) |
| DOAC | 66 (4.5) | 847 (5.8) |
| Antiplatelets | 217 (14.2) | 1982 (13.4) |
| Low-dose ASA | 175 (11.4) | 1748 (11.8) |
| Antidiabetic agents (in 3-month prior the case or control selection), n (%) | 459 (30.0) | 4615 (31.2) |
| Metformin | 209 (13.7) | 2297 (15.5) |
| Sulfonylurea | 184 (12.0) | 2060 (13.9) |
| Thiazolidinediones | 8 (0.5) | 68 (0.5) |
| DPP-4 inhibititors | 29 (1.9) | 344 (2.3) |
| Insulins | 146 (9.5) | 1431 (9.7) |
| Potentially inappropriate drug for HF exacerbation (in 3-month prior the case or control selection), n (%) | ||
| Metformin | 209 (13.7) | 2297 (13.5) |
| Sulfonylurea | 184 (12.0) | 2060 (13.9) |
| Thiazolidinediones | 8 (0.5) | 68 (0.5) |
| DPP-4 inhibitors (saxagliptin/sitagliptin) | 22 (1.4) | 303 (2.1) |
| Calcium channel blockers | 511 (33.4) | 5844 (39.5) |
| Diltiazem/verapamil | 149 (9.7) | 1512 (10.2) |
| Nifedipine | 35 (2.3) | 549 (3.7) |
| Others | 342 (22.4) | 3945 (26.7) |
| Carbamazepine | 8 (0.5) | 54 (0.4) |
| Citalopram or escitalopram | 140 (9.2) | 1081 (7.3) |
| NSAIDs | 27 (1.8) | 479 (3.2) |
| Salbutamol | 366 (23.9) | 2559 (17.3) |
| Hydroxychlroroquine | 21 (1.4) | 140 (1.0) |
| Other drug use (in 3-month prior the case or control selection), n (%) | ||
| Proton pump inhibitors | 839 (54.8) | 7742 (52.3) |
| Antidepressants agents | 373 (24.4) | 2824 (19.1) |
| Anticholinergics agents | 42 (2.8) | 267 (1.8) |
| Benzodiazepine | 666 (43.5) | 5704 (38.5) |
| Hospitalization in the month prior death | 1178 (77.0) | 2106 (14.2) |
SD standard deviation, IQR interquartile range, HF heart failure, CVD cardiovascular disease, CABG coronary artery bypass grafting, CrCl creatinine clearance, ACEIs angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, ARBs angiotensin II receptor blockers, ASA acetylsalicylic acid, DOAC direct oral anticoagulant, DPP-4 dipeptidyl peptidase 4, NSAIDs non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antiplatelets clopidogrel, ticlopidine, prasugrel, ticagrelor.