Table 1.
Characteristics of drug-treated diabetic SCA cases and age, gender, and index year matched diabetic controls in a large HMO: 1980–1994
| Cases (N=342) | Controls (N=667) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 67.7 (8.1) | 67.4 (8.1) | |
| Male | 62.6 | 62.1 | |
| Current smoker | 21.1 | 13.5 | .002 |
| Myocardial infarction | 40.9 | 25.2 | |
| Congestive heart failure | 47.7 | 21.7 | |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 28.0 (5.7) | 29.0 (5.7) | .007 |
| Pulse at rest (b.p.m.) | 79.1 (14.1) | 76.9 (12.9) | .01 |
| QT interval | 108.6 (0.8) | 103.7 (0.4) | < .0001 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 134.5 (24.1) | 143.0 (20.1) | <.0001 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 238.4 (56.6) | 228.7 (51.7) | .01 |
| Creatinine (g/L) | 1.48 (0.78) | 1.26 (.62) | <.0001 |
| Duration of diabetes (years) | 10.4 (8.2) | 8.3 (7.2) | .0001 |
| Insulin treatment | 52.9 | 36.7 | <.0001 |
| Oral hypoglycemic agent treatment | 50.9 | 66.0 | <.0001 |
| Non-fasting plasma glucose (mmol/L) | 12.6 (5.6) | 11.9 (5.3) | .05 |
| Microvascular disease | 47.1 | 33.3 | <.0001 |
| Diabetic autonomic neuropathy | 19.9 | 11.8 | 0.001 |
Values are mean (SD) and per cent for continuous and categorical variables, respectively.
Microvascular disease defined as clinical evidence of protein in urine and/or retinopathy (either non-proliferative or proliferative retinopathy).
Autonomic neuropathy was defined as the presence of any of the following: clinically recognized orthostatic hypotension, gastroparesis, diabetic diarrhea, atonic bladder or syncope.