Table 3.
Number of incident events, person years, rates, and adjusted hazard ratios for each study outcome by use of diabetes drug
| Study outcome/diabetes drug group | No of events | No of person years | Rate per 10 000 person years of exposure | Adjusted hazard ratios (95% CI)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blindness | ||||
| Glitazones | 79 | 54 981 | 14.4 | 0.71 (0.57 to 0.89) |
| Gliptins | 117 | 70 197 | 16.7 | 0.83 (0.69 to 1.01) |
| Metformin | 2021 | 1 045 943 | 19.3 | 0.70 (0.66 to 0.75) |
| Sulphonylureas | 1220 | 494 418 | 24.7 | 0.96 (0.89 to 1.04) |
| Insulin | 202 | 56 153 | 36.0 | 1.48 (1.28 to 1.72) |
| Other hypoglycaemic agents | 52 | 27 715 | 18.8 | 0.86 (0.65 to 1.13) |
| Hyperglycaemia | ||||
| Glitazones | 180 | 32 966 | 54.6 | 0.88 (0.76 to 1.02) |
| Gliptins | 265 | 46 686 | 56.8 | 0.93 (0.82 to 1.05) |
| Metformin | 5368 | 712 777 | 75.3 | 0.65 (0.62 to 0.67) |
| Sulphonylureas | 2216 | 297 347 | 74.5 | 0.99 (0.94 to 1.04) |
| Insulin | 415 | 32 321 | 128.4 | 1.69 (1.53 to 1.87) |
| Other hypoglycaemic agents | 130 | 17 531 | 74.2 | 0.95 (0.80 to 1.14) |
| Hypoglycaemia | ||||
| Glitazones | 355 | 54 507 | 65.1 | 1.22 (1.10 to 1.37) |
| Gliptins | 319 | 69 719 | 45.8 | 0.86 (0.77 to 0.96) |
| Metformin | 3905 | 1 047 042 | 37.3 | 0.58 (0.55 to 0.61) |
| Sulphonylureas | 4064 | 491 712 | 82.7 | 2.93 (2.78 to 3.09) |
| Insulin | 1133 | 53 882 | 210.3 | 4.57 (4.27 to 4.89) |
| Other hypoglycaemic agents | 176 | 27 313 | 64.4 | 1.07 (0.92 to 1.25) |
| Amputation | ||||
| Glitazones | 62 | 55 551 | 11.2 | 0.77 (0.60 to 1.00) |
| Gliptins | 99 | 71 007 | 13.9 | 0.88 (0.71 to 1.08) |
| Metformin | 1195 | 1 059 266 | 11.3 | 0.70 (0.64 to 0.77) |
| Sulphonylureas | 819 | 502 028 | 16.3 | 1.05 (0.95 to 1.15) |
| Insulin | 199 | 56 798 | 35.0 | 1.64 (1.41 to 1.91) |
| Other hypoglycaemic agents | 45 | 28 028 | 16.1 | 0.93 (0.69 to 1.25) |
| Kidney failure | ||||
| Glitazones | 54 | 55 677 | 9.7 | 1.05 (0.80 to 1.38) |
| Gliptins | 64 | 71 251 | 9.0 | 0.99 (0.77 to 1.27) |
| Metformin | 562 | 1 064 018 | 5.3 | 0.41 (0.37 to 0.46) |
| Sulphonylureas | 881 | 502 691 | 17.5 | 1.21 (1.10 to 1.33) |
| Insulin | 235 | 56 573 | 41.5 | 1.45 (1.25 to 1.68) |
| Other hypoglycaemic agents | 35 | 28 166 | 12.4 | 0.80 (0.56 to 1.14) |
Hazard ratio for each diabetes drug group is compared with patients not prescribed that particular medication.
*Hazard ratios adjusted for: sex; age; calendar year; duration since diagnosis of diabetes (five levels); ethnicity (nine levels); Townsend deprivation score; smoking status (five levels); use of anticoagulants, thiazides, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin 2 blockers; calcium channel blockers; statins; aspirin; existing complications (blindness, hyperglycaemia, hypoglycaemia, amputation, severe kidney failure); hypertension; cardiovascular disease; atrial fibrillation; chronic renal disease; rheumatoid arthritis; valvular heart disease; peripheral vascular disease; body mass index; systolic blood pressure; HbA1c; serum creatinine; cholesterol:high density lipoprotein ratio. Hazard ratios also mutually adjusted for use of each of the other diabetes drug classes.