Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the primary-secondary care linked study population, stratified by prescribed second line antidiabetic treatment. Values are number (percentage) unless specified otherwise
| Characteristics | Sulfonylureas (n=25 693) | DPP-4 inhibitors (n=34 464) | SGLT-2 inhibitors (n=15 582) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female participants | 9840 (38.3) | 13 456 (39.0) | 5996 (38.5) |
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 60 (13) | 62 (12) | 56 (11) |
| Ethnicity: | |||
| White | 19 665 (76.5) | 27 308 (79.2) | 12 543 (80.5) |
| South Asian | 3522 (13.7) | 4616 (13.4) | 1961 (12.6) |
| Black | 1625 (6.3) | 1451 (4.2) | 542 (3.5) |
| Mixed/Other | 534 (2.1) | 612 (1.8) | 231 (1.5) |
| Missing | 347 (1.4) | 477 (1.4) | 305 (2.0) |
| Index of multiple deprivation fifth: | |||
| 1 (least deprived) | 3619 (14.1) | 5161 (15.0) | 2604 (16.7) |
| 2 | 4504 (17.5) | 6175 (17.9) | 2793 (17.9) |
| 3 | 4955 (19.3) | 6642 (19.3) | 2953 (19.0) |
| 4 | 6152 (23.9) | 7677 (22.3) | 3408 (21.9) |
| 5 (most deprived) | 6449 (25.1) | 8785 (25.5) | 3815 (24.5) |
| Missing | 14 (0.1) | 24 (0.1) | 9 (0.1) |
| Year second line antidiabetic treatment was initiated: | |||
| 2015 | 6996 (27.2) | 4958 (14.4) | 1145 (7.3) |
| 2016 | 5221 (20.3) | 6057 (17.6) | 1525 (9.8) |
| 2017 | 4260 (16.6) | 6309 (18.3) | 2178 (14.0) |
| 2018 | 3562 (13.9) | 6771 (19.6) | 2912 (18.7) |
| 2019 | 3112 (12.1) | 5995 (17.4) | 3939 (25.3) |
| 2020 | 2542 (9.9) | 4374 (12.7) | 3883 (24.9) |
| Median (IQR) No of years receiving metformin monotherapy | 2.9 (1.1-5.4) | 3.6 (1.7-6.3) | 2.8 (1.3-5.2) |
| Median (IQR) mean No of patients registered with general practice | 9690 (6250-13 628) | 9971 (6538-13 795) | 10 143 (6896-13 881) |
| Last HbA1c value recorded before index date: | |||
| Mean (SD) HbA1c (mmol/mol) | 81 (22) | 72 (16) | 75 (17) |
| Mean (SD) HbA1c (%) | 9.1 (2.1) | 8.2 (1.5) | 8.5 (1.6) |
| HbA1c level (mmol/mol): | |||
| <53 | 713 (2.8) | 1053 (3.1) | 515 (3.3) |
| 53-74 | 10 818 (42.1) | 21 870 (63.5) | 8410 (54.0) |
| ≥75 | 12 579 (49.0) | 10 398 (30.2) | 6134 (39.4) |
| Missing | 1583 (6.2) | 1143 (3.3) | 523 (3.4) |
| Last blood pressure measure recorded before index date: | |||
| Mean (SD) systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 132 (14) | 132 (14) | 133 (14) |
| Mean (SD) diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 78 (9) | 77 (9) | 80 (9) |
| Hypertensive status based on last recorded blood pressure measure: | |||
| Normotensive | 7123 (27.7) | 9424 (27.3) | 3664 (23.5) |
| Hypertensive | 18 525 (72.1) | 25 002 (72.5) | 11 906 (76.4) |
| Missing | 45 (0.2) | 38 (0.1) | 12 (0.1) |
| Mean (SD) BMI at index date | 31.5 (6.6) | 32.2 (6.5) | 35.1 (7.0) |
| BMI at index date: | |||
| Under/normal weight | 2718 (10.6) | 2782 (8.1) | 394 (2.5) |
| Overweight | 8110 (31.6) | 10 180 (29.5) | 2867 (18.4) |
| Obese | 14 702 (57.2) | 21 375 (62.0) | 12 283 (78.8) |
| Missing | 163 (0.6) | 127 (0.4) | 38 (0.2) |
| Mean (SD) last recorded eGFR before index date (mL/min/1.73m2) | 91 (19) | 88 (19) | 97 (15) |
| eGFR category (mL/min/1.73m2): | |||
| Stage 1-2 (≥60) | 23 282 (90.6) | 30 823 (89.4) | 15 186 (97.5) |
| Stage 3a-3b (30-59) | 1770 (6.9) | 3199 (9.3) | 161 (1.0) |
| Missing | 641 (2.5) | 442 (1.3) | 235 (1.5) |
| Comorbidities: | |||
| Prevalent CVD | 5858 (22.8) | 8108 (23.5) | 2680 (17.2) |
| Lower limb amputation | 227 (0.9) | 265 (0.8) | 76 (0.5) |
| Heart failure | 1457 (5.7) | 2007 (5.8) | 598 (3.8) |
| History of myocardial infarction | 1644 (6.4) | 2226 (6.5) | 842 (5.4) |
| Previous stroke | 1378 (5.4) | 1678 (4.9) | 512 (3.3) |
| Ischaemic heart disease | 4572 (17.8) | 6538 (19.0) | 2175 (14.0) |
| Unstable angina | 777 (3.0) | 1099 (3.2) | 362 (2.3) |
| History of any cancer | 4254 (16.6) | 5397 (15.7) | 1447 (9.3) |
| Blindness | 425 (1.7) | 527 (1.5) | 140 (0.9) |
| History of hypoglycaemia | 260 (1.0) | 302 (0.9) | 129 (0.8) |
| Proteinuria | 3658 (14.2) | 4679 (13.6) | 1585 (10.2) |
| Co-prescriptions: | |||
| RAS inhibitor | 12 584 (49.0) | 18 911 (54.9) | 8108 (52.0) |
| Statin | 17 729 (69.0) | 25 690 (74.5) | 10 838 (69.6) |
| Smoking status: | |||
| Non-smoker | 5720 (22.3) | 7455 (21.6) | 3562 (22.9) |
| Former smoker | 12 640 (49.2) | 18 009 (52.3) | 7865 (50.5) |
| Current smoker | 7327 (28.5) | 8992 (26.1) | 4154 (26.7) |
| Missing | 6 (0.0) | 8 (0.0) | <5 |
| Alcohol intake: | |||
| Non-drinker | 3192 (12.4) | 3716 (10.8) | 1630 (10.5) |
| Former drinker | 7248 (28.2) | 10 009 (29.0) | 4179 (26.8) |
| Current drinker | 14 899 (58.0) | 20 367 (59.1) | 9582 (61.5) |
| Missing | 354 (1.4) | 372 (1.1) | 191 (1.2) |
BMI=body mass index; CVD=cardiovascular disease; DPP-4=dipeptidyl peptidase-4; eGFR=estimated glomerular filtration rate; IQR=interquartile range; RAS=renin-angiotensin system; SD=standard deviation; SGLT-2=sodium-glucose cotransporter-2.