Using U.S. Medicare records to evaluate the indirect health effects on spouses: a case study in Alzheimer’s disease patients

Table 2 Spousal identification rates for the corroborated Alzheimer’s disease population and spousal identification rates, 2001-2005

Sex	Total corroborated AD patients¹	Number of study-identified spouses¹	Expected number of spouses²	Study’s rate of spousal identification
Male	16,788	3,188	11,602	27.5%
Female	37,805	3,103	11,848	26.2%
Study total estimate	54,593	6,291	23,450	26.8%

¹From the Medicare 5% sample, with both members of the spousal dyad enrolled in the traditional Medicare fee-for-service plan during the index month.
²Weighted by age according to the 2000 US Census marital status data.
SOURCE: Medicare 5% Sample, 2001–2005.

ISSN: 1472-6963