Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the included patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes
| Early insulin therapy | p value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Yes | ||
| N | 3135 | 2289 | – |
| Age, mean (SD), years | 57.22 (12.77) | 54.57 (13.27) | <0.001 |
| <40 | 269 (8.58) | 319 (13.9) | – |
| 40–59 | 1536 (49.0) | 1148 (50.2) | – |
| ≥60 | 1330 (42.4) | 822 (35.9) | – |
| Gender – female, no. (%), | 1326 (42.3) | 850 (37.1) | <0.001 |
| Body mass index, mean (SD), kg/m2 | 24.71 (10.84) | 24.82 (11.03) | 0.254 |
| <24 | 1118 (35.7) | 810 (35.4) | – |
| 24–27.9 | 1517 (48.4) | 1076 (47.0) | – |
| ≥28 | 500 (15.9) | 403 (17.6) | – |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Atrial fibrillation | 103 (3.29) | 48 (2.10) | 0.011 |
| COPD and/or pulmonary vascular disease | 99 (3.16) | 31 (1.35) | <0.001 |
| Hypertension | 913 (29.1) | 565 (24.7) | <0.001 |
| SBP, mean (SD), mmHg | 134.72 (36.62) | 133.82 (46.50) | 0.424 |
| DBP, mean (SD), mmHg | 82.17 (26.60) | 82.37 (28.56) | 0.782 |
| HbA1c, mean (SD), no. (%) | 8.44 (2.89) | 9.73 (3.02) | <0.001 |
| Fasting plasma glucose, median (IQR), mmol/L | 8.44 (5.95–13.2) | 9.16 (6.09–14.2) | 0.001 |
| Serum creatinine, median (IQR), μmol/L | 72.9 (60.0–89.0) | 70.0 (57.0–89.0) | <0.001 |
| eGFR, median (IQR), ml/min/1.73 m2 | 91.0 (74.1–113) | 97.9 (75.5–125) | <0.001 |
| Serum total cholesterol, mean (SD), mmol/L | 5.02 (1.58) | 5.03 (1.80) | 0.800 |
| Serum HDL-C, mean (SD), mmol/L | 1.15 (0.35) | 1.08 (0.36) | <0.001 |
| Serum LDL-C, mean (SD), mmol/L | 3.02 (1.14) | 2.89 (1.11) | <0.001 |
| Serum triglyceride, mean (SD), mmol/L | 2.16 (2.78) | 2.42 (3.60) | 0.002 |
| Concomitant antihyperglycemic drugs, no. (%) | |||
| Metformin | 822 (26.2) | 1125 (49.1) | <0.001 |
| Sulfonylureas | 373 (11.9) | 385 (16.8) | <0.001 |
| α-glucosidase inhibitors | 929 (29.6) | 885 (38.7) | <0.001 |
| DPP4is | 109 (3.48) | 272 (11.9) | <0.001 |
| GLP-1 RAs | 12 (0.38) | 28 (1.22) | 0.001 |
| SGLT2is | 16 (0.51) | 77 (3.36) | <0.001 |
| TZDs | 125 (3.99) | 76 (3.32) | 0.226 |
| Non-SU insulin secretagogues | 373 (11.9) | 302 (13.2) | 0.166 |
| ACEIs/ARBs, no. (%) | 1155 (36.8) | 823 (36.0) | 0.521 |
| CCBs, no. (%) | 1173 (37.4) | 820 (35.8) | 0.241 |
| β-blockers, no. (%) | 817 (26.1) | 510 (22.3) | 0.002 |
| Diuretics, no. (%) | 860 (27.4) | 616 (26.9) | 0.693 |
| Statins, no. (%) | 1685 (53.7) | 1212 (52.9) | 0.579 |
| Antiplatelet drugs, no. (%) | 1271 (40.5) | 819 (35.8) | <0.001 |
| Duration of early insulin therapy, medium (IQR), days | NA | 35.0 (17.8–81.7) | NA |
Data are presented as number (%), mean (standard deviation, SD), or median (interquartile range, IQR)
COPD chronic obstructive pulmoriary disease, SBP systolic blood pressure, DBP diastolic blood pressure; HbA1c hemoglobin A1c, eGFR estimated glomerular filtration rate, HDL-C high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL-C low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, DPP4i dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor, GLP-1 RA glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, SGLT2i sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor, TZD thiazolidinedione, Non-SU insulin secretagogue non-sulfonylurea insulin secretagogue, CCB calcium channel blocker, ACEI/ARB angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin II receptor blocker