Table 1. Characteristics of the Cases and Controls.
| Cases (n = 43,015) | Control (n = 43,015) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), year | 78.3 (47.2) | 78.4 (47.1) | 0.852 |
| Male sex | 23,105 (53.7) | 23,105 (53.7) | >0.99 |
| Monthly income | >0.99 | ||
| Dependent | 17,258 (40.1) | 17,258 (40.1) | |
| 0–19,100 NT dollars | 7,140 (16.6) | 7,140 (16.6) | |
| 19,100–42,000 NT dollars | 174,952 (406.7) | 17,495 (40.7) | |
| >42,000NT dollars | 1,122 (2.6) | 1,122 (2.6) | |
| Urbanization* | >0.99 | ||
| Level 1 | 13,439 (31.2) | 13,439 (31.2) | |
| Level 2 | 27,862 (64.8) | 27,862 (64.8) | |
| Level 3 | 1,557 (3.6) | 1,557 (3.6) | |
| Level 4 | 157 (0.4) | 157 (0.4) | |
| Charlson comorbidity index score† | |||
| 1 | 2,315 (5.4) | 2,176 (5.1) | 0.758 |
| 2 | 2,945 (6.8) | 2,955 (6.9) | 0.893 |
| 3 | 4,497 (10.5) | 4,590 (10.7) | 0.302 |
| ≧4 | 33,258 (77.3) | 33,294 (77.4) | 0.769 |
| Adapted Diabetes Complications Severity Index score (SD)‡ | 4.0 (2.8) | 4.0 (2.7) | 0.166 |
| 0 | 4,880 (11.3) | 4,749 (11.0) | 0.157 |
| 1 | 4,403 (10.2) | 4,532 (10.5) | 0.149 |
| 2 | 5,104 (11.9) | 5,110 (11.9) | 0.950 |
| 3 | 5,809 (13.5) | 5,898 (13.7) | 0.376 |
| 4 | 5,233 (12.2) | 5,271 (12.3) | 0.692 |
| ≧5 | 17,586 (40.9) | 17,455 (40.6) | 0.363 |
| Duration of diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, months (SD) | 78.3 (47.2) | 78.4 (47.1) | 0.852 |
| Other comorbidity | |||
| Hypertension | 36,913 (85.8) | 36,678 (85.3) | 0.023 |
| Coronary artery disease | 23,739 (55.2) | 26,298 (61.1) | <0.001 |
| Myocardial infarction | 3,669 (8.5) | 3,733 (8.7) | 0.437 |
| Heart failure | 12,840 (29.9) | 11,973 (27.8) | <0.001 |
| Dyslipidemia | 27,217 (63.3) | 31,468 (73.2) | <0.001 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 21,821 (50.7) | 20,095 (46.7) | <0.001 |
| Chronic liver disease | 19,031 (44.2) | 21,056 (49.0) | <0.001 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 13,883 (32.3) | 15,099 (35.1) | <0.001 |
| Autoimmune disease | 2,474 (5.8) | 3,079 (7.2) | <0.001 |
| Drug abuse | 2,169 (5.0) | 1,774 (4.1) | <0.001 |
*Urbanization levels in Taiwan are divided into four strata according to the Taiwan National Health Research Institute publications. Level 1 designates the most urbanized areas, and level 4 designates the least urbanized areas.
†Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score is used to determine overall systemic health. With each increased level of CCI score, there are stepwise increases in the cumulative mortality.
‡Adapted Diabetes Complications Severity Index is a 13-point scale from 7 complication categories: retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, cerebrovascular, cardiovascular, peripheral vascular disease, and metabolic, ranging from each complication. Each complication produced a numeric score ranging from 0 to 2 (0 = no abnormality, 1 = some abnormality, 2 = severe abnormality).