Table 4.
Baseline characteristics of participants in five studies included in patient level analysis by treatment allocation. Values are percentages unless stated otherwise
| Characteristics | Calcium group | Placebo group |
|---|---|---|
| Median (interquartile range) age (years) | 74.5 (70-79) | 74.6 (71-79) |
| Women | 76.5 | 79.2 |
| White ethnicity | 97.2 | 97.7 |
| Mean (SD) weight (kg) | 68.4 (14.1) | 67.9 (13.7) |
| Mean (SD) dietary calcium (mg/day) | 837 (377) | 831 (370) |
| Mean (SD) 25-hydroxyvitamin D (nmol/l)* | 66.1 (28.9) | 64.3 (27.5) |
| Current smoker | 11.0 | 10.2 |
| Hypertension† | 28.0 | 28.4 |
| Ischaemic heart disease† | 8.1 | 7.8 |
| Lipid disorder† | 14.8 | 15.4 |
| Diabetes | 7.0 | 6.7 |
Proportion of women was significantly higher in placebo group because one study that only involved men had a 2:1 ratio of allocation to calcium or placebo.33 No other differences existed between groups. Medical conditions at baseline were self reported by participants.
*Data available from four studies for 1445 participants in calcium groups and 1355 in placebo groups.
†Data available from four studies for 1480 participants in calcium groups and 1379 in placebo groups.