Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients aged 66 years and older included in a primary care electronic medical record database in Ontario, Canada, between 2010 and 2016, by dementia status (N = 44,674)
| Characteristic, n (%) unless otherwise noted | Dementiaa,b (n = 526) | Without dementiab (n = 44,148) |
|---|---|---|
| Age | ||
| Mean (SD) | 80.3 (6.7) | 74.6 (7.0) |
| 66–74 | 106 (20.2%) | 25,479 (57.7%) |
| 75–84 | 268 (51.0%) | 13,910 (31.5%) |
| 85 + | 152 (28.9%) | 4759 (10.8%) |
| Female sex | 309 (58.7%) | 24,424 (55.3%) |
| Rural residence | 139 (26.4%) | 10,647 (24.1%) |
| Income quintile | ||
| 1 (lowest) | 106 (20.2%) | 7893 (17.9%) |
| 2 | 96 (18.3%) | 8906 (20.2%) |
| 3 | 82 (15.6%) | 8257 (18.7%) |
| 4 | 116 (22.1%) | 7965 (18.0%) |
| 5 (highest) | 124 (23.6%) | 11,079 (25.1%) |
| Long-term care resident | 12 (2.3%) | 225 (0.5%) |
| Number of chronic conditions (excluding dementia) | ||
| Mean (SD) | 2.2 (1.9) | 1.8 (1.8) |
| 0–1 | 205 (39.0%) | 21,740 (49.2%) |
| 2 | 93 (17.7%) | 7861 (17.8%) |
| 3 | 105 (20.0%) | 7076 (16.0%) |
| 4 | 62 (11.8%) | 4021 (9.1%) |
| 5 + | 61 (11.6%) | 3450 (7.8%) |
| Chronic conditions | ||
| Hypertension | 283 (53.8%) | 18,441 (41.8%) |
| Cancer | 135 (25.7%) | 11,549 (26.2%) |
| Osteoarthritis | 116 (22.1%) | 9669 (21.9%) |
| Mood/anxiety disorder | 108 (20.5%) | 3916 (8.9%) |
| Diabetes | 99 (18.8%) | 7013 (15.9%) |
| Coronary artery disease | 51 (9.7%) | 3824 (8.7%) |
| Asthma | 49 (9.3%) | 3611 (8.2%) |
| Congestive heart failure | 40 (7.6%) | 3013 (6.8%) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 35 (6.7%) | 2849 (6.5%) |
| One or more physician visits (1 year prior) | ||
| Family physician visit | 523 (99.4%) | 40,937 (92.7%) |
| Dementia specialist visit | 130 (24.7%) | 3454 (7.8%) |
| Neurologist visit | 46 (8.7%) | 2130 (4.8%) |
| Geriatrician visit | 43 (8.2%) | 302 (0.7%) |
| Psychiatrist visit | 52 (9.9%) | 1261 (2.9%) |
| Drug therapiesc dispensed (1 year prior) | ||
| Mean (SD) | 4.96 (2.96) | 4.05 (2.72) |
| 0–5 | 347 (66.0%) | 35,005 (79.3%) |
| 6–9 | 139 (26.4%) | 7481 (16.9%) |
| 10 + | 40 (7.6%) | 1662 (3.8%) |
| Antidepressants | 127 (24.1%) | 5281 (12.0%) |
| Antipsychotics | 27 (5.1%) | 514 (1.2%) |
| Benzodiazepines | 44 (8.4%) | 2193 (5.0%) |
| Cholinesterase inhibitors | 153 (29.1%) | 0 (0.0%) |
N Sample size, SD standard deviation
aDementia was defined using a validated health administrative data algorithm (reference standard)
bBaseline characteristics shown as of the study index date (date of dementia case ascertainment for patients with dementia was between April 1, 2010, and March 31, 2014) and date of latest update in the EMR for patients without dementia (between April 1, 2016, and December 30, 2016)
cBy unique drug name