Table 2.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of T2DM patients stratified by the pharmacological class of the glucose-lowering agents prescribed (alone or in combination).
| Characteristic | Metformin | Sulfonylureas | Meglitinides | AGIs | Pioglitazone | DPP4i | GLP-1ra | Insulin with NIAD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 225,753) | (n = 79,742) | (n = 16,941) | (n = 1,877) | (n = 3,290) | (n = 39,682) | (n = 2,374) | (n = 46,150) | |
| Age, mean (SD), years | 67.7 (11.4) | 69.2 (11.2) | 71.6 (10.9) | 74.4 (9.9) | 67.1 (10.6) | 67.6 (10.9) | 59.5 (9.5) | 68.6 (11.0) |
| Gender, n (%) | ||||||||
| Female | 99,082 (43.9) | 34,648 (43.6) | 7,867 (46.4) | 850 (45.3) | 1,561 (47.4) | 17,199 (43.3) | 1,281 (54.0) | 22,679 (49.1) |
| Male | 126,671 (56.1) | 44,824 (56.4) | 9,074 (53.6) | 1,027 (54.7) | 1,729 (52.6) | 22,483 (56.7) | 1,093 (46.0) | 23,471 (50.9) |
| T2DM duration, mean (SD), years | 7.9 (5.6) | 9.3 (5.3) | 9.9 (5.8) | 10.7 (5.6) | 10.6 (5.6) | 9 (5.4) | 8.7 (5.0) | 11.4 (6.5) |
| HbA1c, mean (SD), %∗ | 7.3 (1.3) | 7.6 (1.4) | 7.7 (1.4) | 7.2 (1.3) | 7.7 (1.4) | 7.7 (1.4) | 7.9 (1.6) | 8.3 (1.6) |
| BMI, mean (SD), kg/m2 | 30.3 (5.1) | 30.0 (5.1) | 29.9 (5.1) | 28.7 (5.0) | 32.2 (5.7) | 30.4 (5.2) | 37.0 (6.0) | 31.0 (5.5) |
| ACR, mean (SD), mg/g | 39.8 (143.7) | 42.3 (149.7) | 71.6 (223.7) | 34.2 (88.3) | 50.1 (191.8) | 50.1 (176.7) | 45.5 (137.2) | 71.2 (213.3) |
| Complications, n (%) | ||||||||
| Diabetic retinopathy | 17,533 (7.8) | 6,594 (8.3) | 2,059 (12.2) | 190 (10.1) | 407 (12.4) | 3,766 (9.5) | 308 (13.0) | 9,980 (21.6) |
| Diabetic nephropathy†/ACR > 300 mg/g | 5,455 (2.4) | 2,171 (2.7) | 856 (5.1) | 58 (3.1) | 131 (4.0) | 1,312 (3.3) | 105 (4.4) | 2,465 (5.3) |
| Diabetic neuropathy | 6,545 (2.9) | 2,313 (2.9) | 755 (4.5) | 62 (3.3) | 150 (4.6) | 1,399 (3.5) | 137 (5.8) | 3,683 (8.0) |
| Ischemic heart disease | 26,433 (11.7) | 9,818 (12.4) | 2,842 (16.8) | 263 (14.0) | 274 (8.3) | 5,177 (13.0) | 291 (12.3) | 8,094 (17.5) |
| Stroke | 12,777 (5.7) | 4,541 (5.7) | 1,363 (8.0) | 123 (6.6) | 148 (4.5) | 2,062 (5.2) | 80 (3.4) | 3,904 (8.5) |
| Peripheral artery disease | 10,470 (4.6) | 3,956 (5.0) | 1,272 (7.5) | 86 (4.6) | 155 (4.7) | 2,045 (5.2) | 80 (3.4) | 3,954 (8.6) |
| Heart failure | 9,711 (4.3) | 4,266 (5.4) | 1,698 (10.0) | 120 (6.4) | 82 (2.5) | 2,063 (5.2) | 113 (4.8) | 3,780 (8.2) |
| Any macrovascular complication | 43,440 (19.2) | 16,018 (20.2) | 331 (2.0) | 413 (22.0) | 509 (15.5) | 8,105 (20.4) | 388 (16.3) | 13,284 (28.8) |
∗Out of 199,523 patients with available HbA1c records.
†Out of 195,674 patients with available GFR records.
ACR: albumin/creatinine ratio; AGI: alpha-glucosidase inhibitors; BMI: body mass index; DPP4i: dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors; GLP-1ra: glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists; GFR: glomerular filtration rate; HbA1c: glycated haemoglobin; NIAD: noninsulin antidiabetic drug; SD: standard deviation; T2DM: type 2 diabetes mellitus.