Age and sex related characteristics of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of statins from 1990 to 2001, according to location, source of funding, and angiographic investigation
| All RCTs | USA | Non-USA | Solely pharmaceutical | Not solely pharmaceutical | Angiographic | Non-angiographic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IQR, interquartile range. | |||||||
| Number of RCTs | 47 | 17 | 30 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 21 |
| Median number of patients (IQR) | 270 (77–834) | 270 (97–429) | 267.5 (77–834) | 427.5 (205–1062) | 157 (56–305) | 250 (97–408) | 286 (56–4159) |
| Number of RCTs completely excluding women (%) | 8 (17%) | 1 (6%) | 7 (23%) | 6 (27%) | 2 (8%) | 6 (23%) | 2 (10%) |
| Median number of women across all trials (IQR) | 45 (12–143) | 80 (22–195) | 22.5 (8–140) | 53.5 (0–247) | 34 (13–90) | 22.5 (8–92) | 64 (13–582) |
| Median percentage women across all trials (IQR) | 18.6% (11.8–30%) | 22.7% (15–40.8%) | 16.5% (10.9–26%) | 15.2% (0–19.5%) | 29.9% (14.9–46.9%) | 15.8% (8.5–22.5%) | 26% (15.1–49%) |
| Number of RCTs stating an upper age limit (%) | 31 (66%) | 12 (71%) | 19 (63%) | 18 (82%) | 13 (52%) | 19 (73%) | 12 (57%) |
| Median upper age limit where reported (IQR) | 70 (65–75) | 75 (69.5–77) | 70 (65–75) | 70 (67–75) | 70 (65–75) | 70 (67–75) | 70 (64.5–74) |
| Number of RCTs reporting proportion aged 65+ years (%) | 13 (28%) | 4 (24%) | 9 (30%) | 7 (32%) | 6 (24%) | 3 (12%) | 10 (48%) |
| Median percentage aged 65+ years where reported (IQR) | 0 (0–23%) | 21.1% (10.3–60.7%) | 0% (0–23%) | 0 (0–23%) | 10.3 (0–39%) | 0 (0– 0) | 21.1 (0–33.1) |