Table 1.
Characteristics of the study patients with and without use of pioglitazone after propensity score matching
| Characteristics | Pioglitazone (n = 3189) | Non-pioglitazone (n = 6378) | STD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 67.0 ± 10.0 | 66.9 ± 10.3 | 0.008 |
| Age group, n (%) | |||
| < 65 years | 1302 (40.8) | 2615 (41.0) | − 0.004 |
| 65–74 years | 1151 (36.1) | 2336 (36.6) | − 0.011 |
| ≥ 75 years | 736 (23.1) | 1427 (22.4) | 0.017 |
| Male, n (%) | 1580 (49.5) | 3154 (49.5) | 0.002 |
| Admitted in medical center, n (%) | 957 (30.0) | 1995 (31.3) | − 0.028 |
| DM duration, years | 8.6 ± 3.4 | 8.6 ± 3.5 | − 0.003 |
| Comorbidity, n (%) | |||
| Atrial fibrillation | 89 (2.8) | 154 (2.4) | 0.024 |
| Myocardial infarction | 90 (2.8) | 180 (2.8) | 0.000 |
| Malignancy | 138 (4.3) | 288 (4.5) | − 0.009 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 197 (6.2) | 395 (6.2) | − 0.001 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 221 (6.9) | 466 (7.3) | − 0.015 |
| Dialysis | 27 (0.8) | 55 (0.9) | − 0.002 |
| Old stroke | 282 (8.8) | 622 (9.8) | − 0.031 |
| Coronary artery disease | 787 (24.7) | 1594 (25.0) | − 0.007 |
| Dyslipidemia | 1673 (52.5) | 3309 (51.9) | 0.012 |
| CCI total score | 3.6 ± 1.6 | 3.6 ± 1.6 | − 0.008 |
| Estimated NIHSS | 5.3 ± 3.3 | 5.3 ± 3.2 | 0.007 |
| Estimated NIHSS group, n (%) | |||
| ≤ 5 | 2480 (77.8) | 4958 (77.7) | 0.001 |
| 6–13 | 556 (17.4) | 1132 (17.7) | − 0.008 |
| > 13 | 153 (4.8) | 288 (4.5) | 0.013 |
| Anti-hypertensive agent, n (%) | |||
| Telmisartan | 246 (7.7) | 465 (7.3) | 0.016 |
| Alpha-blocker | 288 (9.0) | 580 (9.1) | − 0.002 |
| Diuretics (thiazide/loop diuretics/spironolactone) | 830 (26.0) | 1652 (25.9) | 0.003 |
| Beta-blocker | 1275 (40.0) | 2630 (41.2) | − 0.026 |
| CCB | 1928 (60.5) | 3835 (60.1) | 0.007 |
| Average number of anti-hypertension drugs | 2.4 ± 1.1 | 2.5 ± 1.1 | − 0.014 |
| Antidiabetic agent, n (%) | |||
| Insulin | 560 (17.6) | 1133 (17.8) | − 0.005 |
| DPP4i | 576 (18.1) | 1168 (18.3) | − 0.007 |
| Secretagogue (Glinide) | 578 (18.1) | 1120 (17.6) | 0.015 |
| Alpha glucosidase | 828 (26.0) | 1671 (26.2) | − 0.005 |
| Biguanide (metformin) | 2186 (68.5) | 4327 (67.8) | 0.015 |
| Sulfonylurea | 2408 (75.5) | 4799 (75.2) | 0.006 |
| Other medications, n (%) | |||
| Anticoagulant | 102 (3.2) | 197 (3.1) | 0.006 |
| Fibrate | 444 (13.9) | 907 (14.2) | − 0.009 |
| Clopidogrel | 532 (16.7) | 1070 (16.8) | − 0.003 |
| Statin | 1616 (50.7) | 3218 (50.5) | 0.004 |
| Aspirin | 2431 (76.2) | 4925 (77.2) | − 0.023 |
| Follow-up years | 4.0 ± 2.4 | 3.9 ± 2.4 | 0.022 |
| Propensity score | 0.128 ± 0.070 | 0.128 ± 0.070 | 0.002 |
DM diabetes mellitus, CCI Charlson Comorbidity Index, NIHSS National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, CCB calcium channel blockers, DPP4i dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, STD standardized difference
An absolute STD < 0.1 was considered as a non-substantially difference between the groups