Patient demographics and baseline clinical characteristics stratified by baseline cumulative dose of OGC. Values are n (%) or mean ± SD.
| Variables | Baseline Cumulative Dose | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 mg, n = 44,190 | > 0 to ≤ 300 mg, n = 11,496 | > 300 to ≤ 800 mg, n = 8838 | > 800 to ≤ 1800 mg, n = 11,032 | > 1800 mg, n = 8801 | |
| Age, yrs | 58.9 ± 13.4 | 57.0 ± 13.2 | 57.5 ± 13.3 | 59.7 ± 13.7 | 59.6 ± 13.2 |
| Female | 33,809 (76.5) | 9236 (80.3) | 6881 (77.9) | 8231 (74.6) | 6162 (70.0) |
| Geographic region | |||||
| Northeast | 9828 (22.2) | 2178 (19.0) | 1926 (21.8) | 2423 (22.0) | 2091 (23.8) |
| North central | 11,072 (25.1) | 2730 (23.8) | 2156 (24.4) | 2955 (26.8) | 2325 (26.4) |
| South | 13,358 (30.2) | 4379 (38.1) | 3082 (34.9) | 3613 (32.8) | 2575 (29.3) |
| West | 9478 (21.4) | 2057 (17.9) | 1539 (17.4) | 1910 (17.3) | 1717 (19.5) |
| Unknown | 454 (1.0) | 152 (1.3) | 135 (1.5) | 131 (1.2) | 93 (1.1) |
| Payer | |||||
| Commercial | 28,940 (65.5) | 8145 (70.9) | 6137 (69.4) | 6917 (62.7) | 5511 (62.6) |
| Medicare | 15,250 (34.5) | 3351 (29.2) | 2701 (30.6) | 4115 (37.3) | 3290 (37.4) |
| Biologic DMARD therapy | |||||
| Adalimumab | 4293 (9.7) | 1275 (11.1) | 954 (10.8) | 1228 (11.1) | 999 (11.4) |
| Etanercept | 6539 (14.8) | 1826 (15.9) | 1284 (14.5) | 1666 (15.1) | 1278 (14.5) |
| Infliximab | 2572 (5.8) | 650 (5.7) | 548 (6.2) | 692 (6.3) | 569 (6.5) |
| Other biologic DMARD | 3753 (8.5) | 1351 (11.8) | 1225 (13.9) | 1782 (16.2) | 1909 (21.7) |
| Nonbiologic DMARD | |||||
| Hydroxychloroquine | 10,140 (22.9) | 2988 (26.0) | 2419 (27.4) | 3052 (27.7) | 2376 (27.0) |
| Leflunomide | 3020 (6.8) | 1178 (10.2) | 980 (11.1) | 1441 (13.1) | 1278 (14.5) |
| Methotrexate | 20,873 (47.2) | 5979 (52.0) | 4967 (56.2) | 6471 (58.7) | 4874 (55.4) |
| Sulfasalazine | 2579 (5.8) | 787 (6.8) | 632 (7.2) | 852 (7.7) | 820 (9.3) |
| Other nonbiologic DMARD | 2277 (5.2) | 715 (6.2) | 546 (6.2) | 736 (6.7) | 826 (9.4) |
| Claim with a diagnosis for an AE1 | 16,006 (36.2) | 4093 (35.6) | 3090 (35.0) | 4484 (40.7) | 4171 (47.4) |
| Osteoporosis | 4079 (9.2) | 1028 (8.9) | 801 (9.1) | 1389 (12.6) | 1228 (14.0) |
| Fracture | 1660 (3.8) | 502 (4.4) | 367 (4.2) | 587 (5.3) | 636 (7.2) |
| Aseptic necrosis of bone | 89 (0.2) | 27 (0.2) | 13 (0.1) | 43 (0.4) | 40 (0.5) |
| Cataract | 6430 (14.6) | 1505 (13.1) | 1135 (12.8) | 1666 (15.1) | 1516 (17.2) |
| Opportunistic infection2 | 378 (0.9) | 175 (1.5) | 165 (1.9) | 267 (2.4) | 380 (4.3) |
| MI or stroke | 604 (1.4) | 168 (1.5) | 145 (1.6) | 230 (2.1) | 227 (2.6) |
| Type 2 diabetes | 6453 (14.6) | 1582 (13.8) | 1160 (13.1) | 1604 (14.5) | 1668 (19.0) |
| Ulcer/GI bleed | 1138 (2.6) | 344 (0.0) | 245 (0.0) | 385 (0.0) | 380 (0.0) |
| Claim for AE-related medication | 35,175 (79.6) | 10,317 (89.7) | 7966 (90.1) | 9954 (90.2) | 8130 (92.4) |
| Baseline comorbid conditions | |||||
| Hypothyroidism | 5834 (13.2) | 1675 (14.6) | 1193 (13.5) | 1502 (13.6) | 1304 (14.8) |
| Ischemic heart disease | 4465 (10.1) | 1212 (10.5) | 1005 (11.4) | 1483 (13.4) | 1379 (15.7) |
| Cancer | 2929 (6.6) | 779 (6.8) | 671 (7.6) | 987 (8.9) | 851 (9.7) |
| Asthma/COPD | 4218 (9.5) | 1772 (15.4) | 1555 (17.6) | 1888 (17.1) | 1815 (20.6) |
| Paget disease/osteomalacia | 51 (0.1) | 11 (0.1) | 12 (0.1) | 12 (0.1) | 15 (0.2) |
| Deyo-Charlson Comorbidity Index3 | 1.72 ± 1.35 | 1.79 ± 1.39 | 1.83 ± 1.42 | 1.94 ± 1.54 | 2.15 ± 1.71 |
| Count of unique 3-digit ICD-9-CM3 codes | 13.46 ± 9.00 | 15.76 ± 9.87 | 16.01 ± 9.91 | 16.05 ± 10.27 | 18.33 ± 11.77 |
| Count of unique National Drug Codes3 | 12.20 ± 7.71 | 16.04 ± 8.63 | 17.08 ± 9.12 | 17.63 ± 9.24 | 20.44 ± 10.37 |
| Baseline healthcare costs | $21,559 ± $29,446 | $24,813 ± $33,687 | $25,652 ± $32,421 | $28,262 ± $39,729 | $35,664 ± $60,597 |
↵1 Evaluated in inpatient or outpatient claims.
↵2 Includes opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis, candidiasis, and herpes zoster (complete list in Supplementary Table 1, available with the online version of this article).
↵3 Measures of overall health, with a higher score indicating worse health (scores can range from 0 to 33; each of 17 conditions is weighted as 1, 2, 3, or 6).10 AE: adverse event; ICD-9-CM: International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, Clinical Modification; COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; DMARD: disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; GI: gastrointestinal; MI: myocardial infarction; OGC: oral glucocorticoid.