| Cost status; % of patients† | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | All n = 100 178 | Persistently high cost n = 236 | Episodic high cost n = 5 062 | Non–high cost n = 94 880 |
| Age, yr, median (IQR) | 43 (24–66) | 60 (49–73) | 66 (51–78) | 40 (23–65) |
| Age group, yr | ||||
| ≤ 18 | 21.1 | 0.9 | 6.6 | 21.9 |
| 19–45 | 31.1 | 18.2 | 12.2 | 32.2 |
| 46–69 | 26.3 | 51.7 | 38.7 | 25.6 |
| 70–79 | 10.8 | 17.4 | 21.6 | 10.2 |
| ≥ 80 | 10.7 | 11.9 | 20.9 | 10.1 |
| Sex, male | 39.6 | 54.7 | 52.6 | 38.9 |
| Marital status | ||||
| Married or common law | 50.1 | 56.8 | 52.0 | 49.9 |
| Single | 33.5 | 19.9 | 22.7 | 34.1 |
| Separated, divorced or widowed | 11.9 | 21.6 | 22.1 | 11.3 |
| Unknown | 4.6 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 4.6 |
| Comorbid condition (Elixhauser index) | ||||
| Congestive heart failure | 3.4 | 12.3 | 10.0 | 3.1 |
| Cardiac arrhythmias | 5.1 | 12.3 | 14.3 | 4.6 |
| Valvular disease | 0.9 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 0.8 |
| Pulmonary circulation disorder | 1.0 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 0.9 |
| Peripheral vascular disorder | 2.7 | 13.6 | 8.6 | 2.4 |
| Hypertension (uncomplicated) | 11.7 | 31.8 | 29.1 | 10.7 |
| Hypertension (with complications) | 0.3 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.2 |
| Paralysis | 1.1 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 0.9 |
| Neurodegenerative disorder | 2.9 | 11.9 | 7.9 | 2.6 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 4.8 | 13.1 | 11.0 | 4.4 |
| Diabetes (uncomplicated) | 7.8 | 24.6 | 15.5 | 7.4 |
| Diabetes (with complications) | 6.9 | 26.3 | 20.9 | 6.1 |
| Hypothyroidism | 1.2 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.1 |
| Renal failure | 2.4 | 12.3 | 8.0 | 2.1 |
| Liver disease | 1.2 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 1.1 |
| Peptic ulcer disease, no bleeding | 0.5 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| AIDS/HIV | 0.2 | 0 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| Lymphoma | 1.1 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 0.9 |
| Metastatic cancer | 4.4 | 4.7 | 8.1 | 4.2 |
| Solid tumour without metastasis | 10.7 | 14.0 | 18.9 | 10.3 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 0.7 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 0.6 |
| Coagulopathy | 1.1 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 1.0 |
| Obesity | 1.5 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 1.5 |
| Weight loss | 1.0 | 7.6 | 3.6 | 0.9 |
| Fluid and electrolyte disorder | 3.9 | 14.0 | 10.8 | 3.5 |
| Blood-loss anemia | 0.3 | 0 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| Deficiency anemia | 1.0 | 3.4 | 2.7 | 0.9 |
| Alcohol abuse | 1.8 | 6.8 | 4.4 | 1.7 |
| Drug abuse | 1.0 | 4.2 | 1.5 | 1.0 |
| Psychosis | 0.8 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 0.8 |
| Depression | 2.0 | 4.7 | 3.2 | 2.0 |
| Elixhauser comorbidity score, median (IQR) | 0 (0–4) | 5 (0–11) | 5 (0–11) | 0 (0–3) |
Note: IQR = interquartile range. *Persistently high cost = costs were in top 5% of cumulative direct costs in 2 or more of the study years; episodic high cost = costs were in top 5% in only 1 of the study years; non–high cost = costs were in the bottom 95% in all study years (includes patients with no events in a fiscal year). †Unless stated otherwise.