2.5 Statistical analysis
Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate baseline characteristics of
the study population. Continuous variables are presented as means with
standard deviations or medians with interquartile ranges and categorical
variables as numbers and percentages. We used a multivariable
unconditional logistic regression model to calculate the adjusted odds
ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the risk of serious GI
complications, considering the study variables. To apply the risk
prediction model during multivariate analysis, continuous variables were
converted to categorical variables [13].