Table 1.
Demographic characteristics and results of multiple logistic regressions showing the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% CI (confidence interval) for diabetes from 1998 to 2008 in Taiwan.
| Characteristic | All patients | TCMa nonusers (%) | TCM users (%) | aORb (95% CIc) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of cases | 40,163 | 8,874 | 31,289 | |
| Gender | ||||
| Male | 20,971 (52.2) | 5,718 (64.4) | 15,253 (48.7) | 1.00 |
| Female | 19,192 (47.8) | 3,156 (35.6) | 16,036 (51.3) | 1.98 (1.88–2.08) |
| Age at diagnosis (years) | ||||
| Mean ± SD | 56.7 ± 12.4 | 58.3 ± 12.9 | 56.3 ± 12.2 | |
| 20~39 | 3,175 (7.9) | 609 (6.9) | 2,566 (8.2) | 1.11 (1.01–1.22) |
| 40~59 | 20,523 (51.1) | 4,184 (47.1) | 16,339 (52.2) | 1.00 |
| 60~79 | 15,244 (38.0) | 3,653 (41.2) | 11,591 (37.0) | 0.79 (0.75–0.83) |
| ≥80 | 1,221 (3.0) | 428 (4.8) | 793 (2.5) | 0.46 (0.41–0.52) |
| Insured salaries (NT$d/month) | ||||
| 0 | 9,981 (24.9) | 2,207 (24.9) | 7,774 (24.9) | 1.00 |
| 1–19,999 | 21,256 (52.9) | 4,801 (54.1) | 16,455 (52.6) | 1.01 (0.95–1.08) |
| 20,000–39,999 | 5,414 (13.5) | 982 (11.1) | 4,432 (14.2) | 1.33 (1.21–1.46) |
| ≥40,000 | 3,512 (8.7) | 884 (9.9) | 2,628 (8.4) | 1.02 (0.92–1.12) |
| Insured region | ||||
| Taipei city | 6,975 (17.4) | 1,746 (19.7) | 5,229 (16.7) | 1.00 |
| Kaohsiung city | 2,802 (7.0) | 606 (6.8) | 2,196 (7.0) | 1.21 (1.09–1.35) |
| Northern Taiwan | 11,316 (28.2) | 2,652 (29.9) | 8,664 (27.7) | 1.10 (1.02–1.18) |
| Central Taiwan | 7,172 (17.8) | 1,070 (12.1) | 6,102 (19.5) | 1.92 (1.76–2.09) |
| Southern Taiwan | 10,447 (26.0) | 2,436 (27.4) | 8,011 (25.6) | 1.12 (1.04–1.20) |
| Eastern Taiwan | 1,130 (2.8) | 288 (3.3) | 842 (2.7) | 0.97 (0.83–1.12) |
| Outlying islands | 319 (0.8) | 75 (0.8) | 244 (0.8) | 1.11 (0.85–1.45) |
| Number of diabetic complications | ||||
| 0 | 17,913 (44.6) | 4,213 (47.5) | 13,700 (43.8) | 1.00 |
| 1 | 12,833 (32.0) | 2,823 (31.8) | 10,010 (32.0) | 1.10 (1.04–1.16) |
| Nephropathy | 2,990 (7.4) | 724 (8.1) | 2,266 (7.2) | |
| Retinopathy | 2,764 (6.9) | 674 (7.6) | 2,090 (6.7) | |
| Neuropathy | 5,339 (13.3) | 993 (11.2) | 4,346 (13.9) | |
| Peripheral circulatory disorders (PCD) | 844 (2.1) | 213 (2.4) | 631 (2.0) | |
| Other specified manifestations | 896 (2.2) | 219 (2.5) | 677 (2.2) | |
| 2 | 6,296 (15.7) | 1,226 (13.8) | 5,070 (16.2) | 1.28 (1.19–1.38) |
| Nephropathy + retinopathy | 1,039 (2.6) | 241 (2.7) | 798 (2.5) | |
| Nephropathy + neuropathy | 1,588 (4.0) | 300 (3.4) | 1,288 (4.1) | |
| Nephropathy + PCD | 256 (0.6) | 64 (0.7) | 192 (0.6) | |
| Nephropathy + others | 273 (0.7) | 61 (0.7) | 212 (0.7) | |
| Retinopathy + neuropathy | 1,579 (3.9) | 250 (2.8) | 1,329 (4.3) | |
| Retinopathy + PCD | 234 (0.6) | 45 (0.5) | 189 (0.6) | |
| Retinopathy + others | 206 (0.5) | 46 (0.5) | 160 (0.5) | |
| Neuropathy + PCD | 582 (1.4) | 107 (1.2) | 475 (1.5) | |
| Neuropathy l + others | 429 (1.1) | 81 (0.9) | 348 (1.1) | |
| PCD + others | 110 (0.3) | 31 (0.4) | 79 (0.3) | |
| ≥3 | 3,121 (7.7) | 612 (6.9) | 2,509 (8.0) | 1.25 (1.13–1.38) |
| Number of medical treatments for diabetes | ||||
| None | 3,370 (8.4) | 627 (7.1) | 2,743 (8.8) | |
| Monotherapye | 6,048 (15.1) | 1,443 (16.3) | 4,605 (14.7) | 1.00 |
| Two-drug combinationf | 13,609 (33.9) | 3,127 (35.2) | 10,482 (33.5) | 1.01 (0.94–1.09) |
| Three-drug combination | 8,675 (21.6) | 1,937 (21.8) | 6,738 (21.5) | 1.00 (0.93–1.09) |
| Four-drug combination | 5,026 (12.5) | 1,093 (12.3) | 3,933 (12.6) | 1.01 (0.92–1.10) |
| Over five-drug combination | 3,435 (8.5) | 647 (7.3) | 2,788 (8.9) | 1.13 (1.01–1.26) |
aTCM refers to traditional Chinese medicine; bOR refer to odds ratio; cCI refers to confidence interval; dNT$ refers to new Taiwan dollars, of which US$ 1 = NT$30 approximately.
eMonotherapy is the use of a single antidiabetic drug (sulfonylureas, biguanides, α-glucosidase, meglitinide, thiazolidinediones, guar gum, or insulin).
fcombination therapy is the use of more than one antidiabetic drug.