Table 1.
Characteristics of type 2 diabetes patients.†
| All patients (N = 111,186) | New metformin users (N = 11,227) | Ongoing metformin users (N = 99,959) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD) years | 66.37 (12.25) | 62.90 (13.23) | 66.76 (12.07) |
| Male | 65,131 (58.6) | 6,461 (57.5) | 58,670 (58.7) |
| Smoker | 16,260 (14.6) | 1,921 (17.1) | 14,339 (14.3) |
| BMI, mean (SD) kg/m2 | 31.69 (6.48) | 32.38 (6.77) | 31.61 (6.44) |
| HbA1c mmol/mol, mean [% (SD)] | 66 [8.2 (3.1)] | 73 [8.8 (3.8)] | 66 [8.2 (3.0)] |
| <6.5% | 15,869 (14.3) | 898 (8.0) | 14,971 (15.0) |
| 6.5–6.9% | 18,352 (16.5) | 1,201 (10.7) | 17,151 (17.2) |
| 7.0–7.9% | 28,042 (25.2) | 1,482 (13.2) | 26,560 (26.6) |
| 8.0–8.9% | 11,697 (10.5) | 572 (5.1) | 11,125 (11.1) |
| ≥9.0% | 15,901 (14.3) | 1,169 (10.4) | 14,732 (14.7) |
| Missing | 21,325 (19.2) | 5,905 (52.6) | 15,420 (15.4) |
| Baseline medication use‡ | |||
| 5–10 medications | 54,358 (48.9) | 1,593 (14.2) | 52,765 (52.8) |
| >10 medications | 1,037 (0.9) | 15 (0.1) | 1,022 (1.0) |
| Baseline use of anti-diabetic drugs | |||
| Metformin | 99,959 (89.9) | – | 99,959 (100.0) |
| Sulfonylureas | 38,309 (34.5) | 1,149 (10.2) | 37,160 (37.2) |
| DPP-4 inhibitors | 15,095 (13.6) | 319 (2.8) | 14,776 (14.8) |
| Thiazolidinediones | 9,978 (9.0) | 153 (1.4) | 9,825 (9.8) |
| GLP-1 | 5,015 (4.5) | 89 (0.8) | 4,926 (4.9) |
| Other§ | 708 (0.6) | 14 (0.1) | 694 (0.7) |
| Concomitant medication use | |||
| Anti-hypertensive drugs | 84,399 (75.9) | 6445 (57.4) | 77,954 (78.0) |
| Lipid-lowering therapy | 87,932 (79.1) | 5661 (50.4) | 82,271 (82.3) |
| NSAIDs | 14,933 (13.4) | 1454 (13.0) | 13,479 (13.5) |
| CCI, mean (SD) | 2.48 (1.66) | 1.82 (1.55) | 2.56 (1.65) |
| Diabetes-related comorbidities¶ | |||
| Hypertension | 67,417 (60.6) | 5,574 (49.6) | 61,843 (61.9) |
| Retinopathy | 35,315 (31.8) | 1,486 (13.2) | 33,829 (33.8) |
| Depression | 34,358 (30.9) | 3,557 (31.7) | 30,801 (30.8) |
| Obesity | 28,391 (25.5) | 2,539 (22.6) | 25,852 (25.9) |
| Macrovascular disease | 26,733 (24.0) | 2,293 (20.4) | 24,440 (24.5) |
| Anxiety | 23,852 (21.5) | 2,588 (23.1) | 21,264 (21.3) |
| Chronic kidney disease | 20,967 (18.9) | 1,429 (12.7) | 19,538 (19.5) |
| Hyperlipidemia | 17,607 (15.8) | 1,442 (12.8) | 16,165 (16.2) |
| Malignant neoplasm | 11,444 (10.3) | 1,102 (9.8) | 10,342 (10.3) |
BMI, body mass index; CCI, Charlson comorbidity index; DPP-4, dipeptidyl peptidase 4; GLP-1, glucagon-like peptide 1; NSAIDs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
†
Values are presented as N (%) unless otherwise indicated.
‡
Excluding the index date.
§
Other anti-diabetic drugs were meglitinide, alpha-glucosidase, and sodium-glucose cotransporter inhibitors.
¶
Only comorbidities present in ≥10% of the population were included.