Table 2.
Pharmacotherapy of Patients Grouped by Age at Diagnosis of Type 2 DiabetesCharacteristic
| Characteristic | Frequency valid n (%) | Interval to start of treatment following diagnosisa (years) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ≤65 Years (n = 2099) | > 65 Years (n = 1169) | P value | ≤ 65 years | >65 years | P value | |
| Antidiabetic treatmentb | ||||||
| No medication | 316 (15.1%) | 247 (21.1%) | <0.001 | |||
| Insulin alone | 64 (3.0%) | 38 (3.3%) | ||||
| Insulin and OAD | 486 (23.2%) | 226 (19.3%) | ||||
| OAD alone | 1233 (58.7%) | 658 (56.3%) | ||||
| Thereof | ||||||
| α-Glucosidase inhibitors | 410 (19.5%) | 194 (16.6%) | 0.039 | 1.68 ± 1.99 (n = 410) | 1.52 ± 1.95 (n = 194) | 0.36 |
| Metformin | 1303 (62.1%) | 524 (44.8%) | <0.001 | 2.27 ± 2.20 (n = 1303) | 2.16 ± 2.15 (n = 524) | 0.34 |
| Sulfonylurea | 1200 (57.2%) | 672 (57.5%) | 0.88 | 1.68 ± 2.11 (n = 1200) | 1.63 ± 2.04 (n = 672) | 0.57 |
| Other OAD | 332 (15.8%) | 95 (8.1%) | <0.001 | 3.99 ± 2.04 (n = 332) | 4.05 ± 2.00 (n = 95) | 0.79 |
| Insulins | 550 (26.2%) | 264 (22.6%) | 0.023 | 3.29 ± 2.44 (n = 550) | 3.07 ± 2.43 (n = 264) | 0.22 |
| Additional therapy | ||||||
| Thrombocyte aggregation inhibitors | 220 (10.5%) | 200 (17.1%) | <0.001 | 2.62 ± 2.45 (n = 220) | 2.76 ± 2.48 (n = 200) | 0.57 |
| Lipid-lowering drugsc | 763 (36.4%) | 331 (28.3%) | <0.001 | 2.11 ± 2.27 (n = 763) | 2.06 ± 2.30 (n = 331) | 0.71 |
| Antihypertensive drugsd | 1616 (77.0%) | 1033 (88.4%) | <0.001 | 1.07 ± 1.89 (n = 1591) | 0.75 ± 1.56 (n = 1019) | <0.001 |
a
Data are means ± SD.
b
Patients were allocated to a given treatment group if the treatment was documented at least in 1 year.
c
Lipid-lowering drugs comprised fibrates, statins, and rarely other compounds.
d
Antihypertensive drugs comprised diuretics, β blocker, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II type 1 receptor, and Ca antagonists.