Characteristics of patients taking spironolactone who experienced sudden death within 14 days after receiving co-prescription of trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole or another study antibiotic* (cases) and matched controls
| Variable | No. (%) of patients† | Standardized difference‡ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cases n = 328 | Controls n = 1171 | ||
| Age, yr, median (IQR) | 86 (81–90) | 86 (81–90) | 0.07 |
| Age group, yr | |||
| 66–74 | 34 (10.4) | 123 (10.5) | 0.01 |
| 75–84 | 84 (25.6) | 332 (28.4) | 0.06 |
| ≥ 85 | 210 (64.0) | 716 (61.1) | 0.07 |
| Female sex | 217 (66.2) | 807 (68.9) | 0.06 |
| Duration of spironolactone use, yr, median (IQR) | 1 (1–2) | 3 (1–5) | 0.66 |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index | |||
| No hospital admission | 56 (17.1) | 389 (33.2) | 0.36 |
| 0 | 20 (6.1) | 128 (10.9) | 0.16 |
| 1 | 55 (16.8) | 201 (17.2) | 0.01 |
| ≥ 2 | 197 (60.1) | 453 (38.7) | 0.44 |
| Comorbid condition | |||
| Congestive heart failure | 258 (78.7) | 681 (58.2) | 0.43 |
| Angina§ | 7 (2.1) | 30 (2.6) | 0.03 |
| Acute myocardial infarction§ | 14 (4.3) | 33 (2.8) | 0.08 |
| Dysrhythmia§ | 135 (41.2) | 370 (31.6) | 0.20 |
| Chronic kidney disease§ | 9 (2.7) | 30 (2.6) | 0.01 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 113 (34.5) | 359 (30.7) | 0.08 |
| Hypertension | 249 (75.9) | 892 (76.2) | 0.01 |
| Residence in long-term care facility | 201 (61.3) | 445 (38.0) | 0.48 |
| No. of prescription drugs in previous year, median (IQR) | 18 (14–22) | 15 (12–19) | 0.37 |
| Medication use in preceding 90 d | |||
| Non–potassium-sparing diuretic | 284 (86.6) | 833 (71.1) | 0.36 |
| Potassium-sparing diuretic¶ | ≤ 5 | ≤ 5 | 0.00 |
| β-Adrenergic receptor antagonist | 114 (34.8) | 400 (34.2) | 0.01 |
| Potassium supplement | 11 (3.4) | 37 (3.2) | 0.01 |
| NSAID | 42 (12.8) | 155 (13.2) | 0.01 |
| Renin–angiotensin–aldosterone inhibitor | 176 (53.7) | 524 (44.7) | 0.18 |
| Income quintile | |||
| 1 (lowest) | 83 (25.3) | 284 (24.3) | 0.02 |
| 2 | 71 (21.6) | 239 (20.4) | 0.03 |
| 3 | 56 (17.1) | 238 (20.3) | 0.08 |
| 4 | 56 (17.1) | 227 (19.4) | 0.06 |
| 5 (highest) | 58 (17.7) | 177 (15.1) | 0.07 |
Note: IQR = interquartile range, NSAID = nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
↵* Amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin or nitrofurantoin.
↵† Unless stated otherwise.
↵‡ Difference between cases and controls divided by standard deviation.
↵§ In past 3 years.
↵¶ Other than spironolactone; prevalence not reported because of small cell size.