Baseline characteristics of the study participants
| Characteristics, N (%) | All patients* (N=326 519) | Antidiabetic discontinuers (N=54 072) | Antihypertensive discontinuers (N=161 225) | Statin discontinuers (N=137 941) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD) | 52.1 (11.6) | 50.9 (12.4) | 51.0 (12.0) | 54.3 (10.4) |
| Male gender | 153 118 (46.9) | 23 773 (44.0) | 72 329 (44.9) | 71 317 (51.7) |
| Coronary artery disease | 29 167 (8.9) | 4672 (8.6) | 12 770 (7.9) | 15 356 (11.1) |
| Hypertension | 146 394 (44.8) | 26 860 (49.7) | 69 786 (43.3) | 65 009 (47.1) |
| Congestive heart failure | 6674 (2.1) | 1382 (2.6) | 3195 (2.0) | 2993 (2.2) |
| Stroke or transient ischaemic attack | 6882 (2.1) | 939 (1.7) | 3131 (1.9) | 3634 (2.6) |
| Diabetes | 96 754 (29.6) | 28 272 (52.3) | 25 838 (16.0) | 30 295 (22.0) |
| Depression | 26 005 (8.0) | 3957 (7.3) | 13 355 (8.3) | 10 747 (7.8) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/asthma | 27 491 (8.4) | 4779 (8.8) | 13 847 (8.6) | 11 373 (8.2) |
| Liver disease | 7696 (2.4) | 1622 (3.0) | 3772 (2.3) | 2931 (2.1) |
| Chronic kidney disease | 7962 (2.4) | 1883 (3.5) | 3475 (2.2) | 3486 (2.5) |
| Alzheimer's/dementia | 1909 (0.6) | 286 (0.5) | 1026 (0.6) | 804 (0.6) |
| Comorbidity score, mean (SD) | 0.1 (1.2) | 0.1 (1.2) | 0.1 (1.2) | 0.1 (1.1) |
| No. office visits, mean (SD) | 6.6 (7.7) | 7.1 (8.0) | 6.8 (8.1) | 6.2 (7.1) |
| Colonoscopy | 13 184 (4.0) | 1831 (3.4) | 6348 (3.9) | 6093 (4.4) |
| Mammogram/PSA test | 56 975 (17.5) | 8662 (16.0) | 23 334 (14.5) | 29 670 (21.5) |
| Time until discontinuation, mean (SD) | 261 (269) | 270 (271) | 266 (271) | 271 (280) |
*Total number is smaller than the other three cohorts combined due to overlapping membership.
PSA, prostate-specific antigen.