Table 1: Characteristics of patients at or in the year after initiation of oral antidiabetic treatment.

Characteristic	No. (%) of patients* (n = 60 924)
Sociodemographic
Age, mean (median) (Q1-Q3), yr	64.8 (67) (57-74)
Sex
Female	32 033 (52.6)
Male	28 891 (47.4)
Socioeconomic status at initiation of treatment
No guaranteed income supplement	32 043 (52.6)
Partial guaranteed income supplement	15 517 (25.5)
Maximum guaranteed income supplement or social assistance	13 364 (21.9)
Use of health care services†
Loyalty to a pharmacy
Yes	33 977 (55.8)
No	26 947 (44.2)
Hospital admission for any cause
Yes	20 778 (34.1)
No	40 146 (65.9)
No. of distinct drugs claimed, mean (median) (Q1-Q3)	12.3 (11) (8-15)
Initial drug claim
Initial drug treatment
Metformin monotherapy	47 002 (77.1)
Sulfonylurea monotherapy	9685 (15.9)
Monotherapy with other orally administered antidiabetic	774 (1.3)
Bi-therapy with other orally administered antidiabetics	3435 (5.6)
Tri-, quadri- or pentatherapy with other orally administered antidiabetics	28 (0.1)
Specialty of physician who prescribed initial therapy
General practitioner	49 814 (81.8)
Endocrinologist or internist	7611 (12.5)
Other	3405 (5.6)
Unknown	94 (0.2)
Year treatment initiated
2000	7446 (12.2)
2001	7337 (12.0)
2002	7563 (12.4)
2003	8177 (13.4)
2004	9712 (15.9)
2005	10 004 (16.4)
2006	10 685 (17.5)

Note: Q = quartile.

*Except where noted otherwise.

†Measured in the first year following initiation of treatment (including day of initiation and 365th day).