Patient characteristics, clinical behavior, and glycemic burden by treatment
| Diet and exercise | Sulfonylurea monotherapy | Metformin monotherapy | Sulfonylurea and metformin combination therapy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | 2,319 | 3,394 | 513 | 982 |
| Age (years) | 57.7 ± 12.2 | 55.7 ± 11.8 | 55.5 ± 11.6 | 57.8 ± 11.4 |
| Men (%) | 52.6 | 52.5 | 48.5 | 52.6 |
| Duration of diabetes (years) | 0.0 | 0.6 ± 1.3 | 2.0 ± 2.3 | 4.3 ± 2.3 |
| BMI (k/m2) | 34.1 ± 7.2 | 34.4 ± 7.4 | 34.9 ± 7.7 | 34.6 ± 7.8 |
| Last HbA1c before treatment (%) | — | 9.6 ± 2.1 | 8.8 ± 1.8 | 9.2 ± 1.7 |
| First HbA1c on treatment (%) | 7.4 ± 1.5 | 7.6 ± 1.5 | 8.2 ± 1.8 | 8.4 ± 1.5 |
| Best HbA1c on treatment (%) | 7.2 ± 1.4 | 7.1 ± 1.4 | 7.7 ± 1.6 | 7.7 ± 1.3 |
| Mean HbA1c on treatment (%) | 7.9 ± 1.3 | 8.2 ± 1.3 | 8.4 ± 1.5 | 8.8 ± 1.2 |
| Last HbA1c on treatment (%) | 8.6 ± 1.6 | 9.1 ± 1.7 | 8.8 ± 1.7 | 9.6 ± 1.7 |
| Months on treatment | 29.8 ± 14.7 | 35.1 ± 17.8 | 26.5 ± 13.5 | 33.9 ± 16.9 |
| No. of HbA1c tests | 4.0 ± 2.8 | 5.8 ± 4.0 | 4.3 ± 3.2 | 6.6 ± 4.5 |
| HbA1c tests >8.0% (%) | 35.5 | 48.7 | 49.6 | 66.6 |
| Months HbA1c >8.0% | 8.7 ± 12.5 | 20.5 ± 18.0 | 14.5 ± 13.7 | 25.6 ± 17.2 |
| Total glycemic burden (months) | ||||
| Base HbA1c 8.0% | 8.6 ± 22.4 | 19.4 ± 31.8 | 17.0 ± 25.8 | 29.9 ± 35.6 |
| Base HbA1c 7.0% | 22.5 ± 32.0 | 41.5 ± 43.4 | 33.5 ± 34.7 | 58.3 ± 46.2 |
| Avoidable burden (months) | ||||
| Base HbA1c 8.0% | 4.4 ± 14.8 | 16.5 ± 28.3 | 12.3 ± 21.3 | 26.0 ± 30.6 |
| Base HbA1c 7.0% | 15.8 ± 24.6 | 36.6 ± 39.6 | 25.9 ± 30.1 | 51.1 ± 41.6 |
| Subsequent therapy (proportions) | ||||
| Sulfonylurea | 0.736 | — | 0.916 | — |
| Metformin | 0.226 | 0.913 | — | — |
| Other oral agent | 0.003 | 0.015 | 0.021 | 0.123 |
| Insulin | 0.036 | 0.071 | 0.062 | 0.877 |
| Total | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 |
| Switched after HbA1c first exceeded 8.0% or before (% subjects) | 66.6 | 35.3 | 44.6 | 18.6 |
Data are means ± SD, unless noted otherwise.