Selected characteristics of overall sample and the study cohort.
| Characteristics | Total Sample, n = 310,695 Episodes | Study Cohort with At Least 1 Postindex SU Measurement, n = 47,072 Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| N (%) or mean (SD) | N (%) or mean (SD) | |
| Male sex | 307,992 (99.1) | 46,659 (99.1) |
| Race/ethnicity | ||
| White | 196,479 (63.2) | 28,572 (60.7) |
| Black | 65,664 (21.1) | 11,376 (24.2) |
| Hispanic | 11,928 (3.8) | 2527 (5.4) |
| Other | 19,444 (6.3) | 2810 (6.0) |
| Unknown | 17,180 (5.5) | 1787 (3.8) |
| Age, mean (SD) | 67.5 (11.8) | 66.8 (11.5) |
| BMI, kg/m2, mean (SD) | 33.5 (7.5) | 33.6 (7.6) |
| Marital status | ||
| Married | 184,084 (59.5) | 26,687 (57.0) |
| Divorced | 67,217 (21.7) | 10,694 (22.8) |
| Single | 32,037 (1034) | 5535 (11.8) |
| Widowed | 25,916 (8.4) | 3946 (8.4) |
| Deyo-Charlson comorbidity index score, mean (SD) | 1.4 (1.6) | 1.6 (1.7) |
| Main provider type | ||
| Any physician | 163,131 (52.5) | 23,564 (50.1) |
| Nursing | 31,405 (10.1) | 3887 (8.3) |
| Physician assistant or nurse practitioner | 28,258 (9.1) | 3863 (8.2) |
| Other | 87,901 (28.3) | 15,758 (33.5) |
| Provider specialty | ||
| Rheumatology | 8140 (2.6) | 2543 (5.4) |
| Others | 302,555 (97.4) | 44,529 (94.6) |
| Veterans Integrated Service Network | ||
| Northeast | 28,846 (9.3) | 6685 (14.2) |
| Mid-Atlantic | 69,414 (22.3) | 13,620 (28.9) |
| South | 93,584 (30.1) | 10,612 (22.6) |
| Midwest | 65,957 (21.2) | 5045 (10.7) |
| West | 52,872 (17.0) | 11,106 (23.6) |
| Affiliated to university hospital (yes) | 290,131 (93.4) | 42,787 (90.9) |
| Outpatient clinic type | ||
| CBOC | 62,822 (20.2) | 8525 (18.1) |
| VAMC | 43,420 (14.0) | 29,107 (61.8) |
| VAMC and CBOC | 16,347 (5.3) | 2193 (4.7) |
| Other | 43,420 (14.0) | 7247 (15.4) |
| Operating beds, mean (SD) | 162.7 (94.7) | 169.6 (94.4) |
| Operating VAMC bed size | ||
| > 200 | 93,847 (30.2) | 15,812 (33.6) |
| ≤ 50 | 42,073 (13.5) | 7471 (15.9) |
| > 50 to ≤ 100 | 56,082 (18.1) | 5815 (12.4) |
| > 100 to ≤ 200 | 118,693 (38.2) | 17,974 (38.2) |
| Distance from closest VA facility within network, miles, mean (SD) | 13.3 (13.9) | 12.6 (15.3) |
| Distance from closest VA medical center within network, miles, mean (SD) | 44.3 (78.6) | 47.8 (124.1) |
| Rural location of the VA facility | 162,420 (52.4) | 22,405 (47.7) |
| Means test category | ||
| Most needy but not service-connected | 104,088 (33.5) | 16,961 (36.0) |
| Most needy and service-connected | 123,729 (39.8) | 19,800 (42.1) |
| Not most needy | 68,367 (22.0) | 8252 (17.5) |
| Other | 14,489 (4.7) | 2055 (4.4) |
| Daily allopurin l dose, mg/day, mean (SD) | ||
| Start daily dose | 206.1 (119.6) | 192.7 (105.2) |
| End daily dose | 215.4 (118.8) | 213.4 (116.2) |
| Average dose | 200.8 (106.6) | 193.5 (103.8) |
| Followup time, days (censored by event), mean (SD) | 524.3 (536.5) | 273.3 (303.5) |
| Time to achieve target SU < 6 mg/dl, days, mea (SD) | — | 179 (102) |
| Medication possession ratio (censored by event), mean (SD) | 0.8 (0.2) | 0.9 (0.1) |
Bold text denotes statistically significant p < 0.05 between the overall sample and that with at least 1 postindex SU. SU: serum urate; BMI: body mass index; VA: Veterans Affairs; VAMC: VA Medical Center clinic; CBOC: community-based outpatient clinic.