Demographic and clinical patient characteristics (n = 138,240). Values are n (%) unless otherwise specified.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Age, mean ± SD, yrs | 54.2 ± 13.3 |
| Female | 108,341 (78.4) |
| Payer type | |
| National Health Insurance | 129,054 (93.4) |
| Medicaid | 9186 (6.6) |
| Institution | |
| Tertiary hospital | 20,300 (14.7) |
| General hospital | 14,052 (10.2) |
| Community hospital | 7729 (5.6) |
| Clinic | 77,797 (56.3) |
| Other | 18,362 (13.3) |
| Physician specialty | |
| Rheumatology | 58,776 (42.5) |
| Orthopedic surgery | 27,542 (19.9) |
| Other | 51,922 (37. 6) |
| Comorbidities | |
| Hyperparathyroidism | 429 (0.3) |
| Hyperthyroidism | 10,804 (7.8) |
| ESRD | 3000 (2.2) |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 45,299 (32.8) |
| IBD | 2480 (1.8) |
| Medication | |
| RA-related* | |
| MTX | 67,124 (48.6) |
| Biologic agent | 3561 (2.6) |
| NSAID | 133,380 (96.5) |
| PPI | 61,150 (44.3) |
| Osteoporosis-related* | |
| Antiosteoporotic agent | 66,366 (48.0) |
| Anticoagulant | 2199 (1.6) |
| Thyroid hormone | 8685 (6.3) |
| Antidepressant | 9409 (6.8) |
| Oral GC use, mean ± SD | |
| Duration, mos | 24.5 ± 24.0 |
| Mean dose, mg/day | 6.1 ± 4.7 |
| Highest dose, mg/day | 16.2 ± 15.8 |
↵* Use of medication longer than 3 months during followup period. RA: rheumatoid arthritis; ESRD: endstage renal disease; IBD: inflammatory bowel disease; MTX: methotrexate; NSAID: nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs; PPI: proton pump inhibitor; GC: glucocorticoids.