Baseline characteristics of patients first exposed to thiazide diuretics and matched unexposed patients*
| Characteristic | No. (%)† of patients exposed to thiazides at index date n = 87 525 | No. (%)† of patients unexposed to antihypertensives at index date n = 175 050‡ |
|---|---|---|
| Age, yr, at index date, median (IQR) | 70 (67–75) | 70 (67–75) |
| Sex, female, n (%) | 55 241 (63) | 110 482 (63) |
| Rural residence | 13 838 (16) | 25 710 (15) |
| Income quintile based on residential postal code | ||
| 1 (highest) | 17 177 (20) | 32 467 (19) |
| 2 | 18 286 (21) | 35 569 (20) |
| 3 | 17 572 (20) | 34 388 (20) |
| 4 | 16 763 (19) | 34 147 (20) |
| 5 (lowest) | 17 396 (20) | 37 863 (22) |
| No. of physician visits in the 12 mo before the index date, median (IQR) | 9 (4–16) | 9 (5–16) |
| Charlson–Deyo comorbidity index | ||
| 0 | 81 276 (93) | 165 189 (94) |
| 1 | 3044 (3) | 4201 (2) |
| ≥ 2 | 3205 (4) | 5660 (3) |
| Hypertension diagnosed on or before index date | 61 359 (70) | 40 448 (23) |
| Year of index date | ||
| 1998–2000 | 28 967 (33) | 57 934 (33) |
| 2001–2005 | 27 068 (31) | 54 136 (31) |
| 2006–2010 | 16 356 (19) | 32 712 (19) |
| 2011–2016 | 15 134 (17) | 30 268 (17) |
Note: IQR = interquartile range.
↵* Baseline characteristics for patients first exposed to other antihypertensive medications are found in Appendix 1, Tables S1–4 (available at www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201971/tab-related-content).
↵† Unless otherwise stated.
↵‡ 25% became exposed to thiazides during follow-up.