Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of patients
| Characteristic | Standard of care | Sitagliptin | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 69 ± 1.0 | 69 ± 0.9 | 0.83 |
| Patients ≥70 years of age, n (%) | 90 (53) | 92 (54) | 0.91 |
| Male sex, n (%) | 115 (68) | 123 (73) | 0.40 |
| Duration of diabetes (years) | 8.7 ± 1.2 | 9.2 ± 0.8 | 0.73 |
| Coexisting conditions, n (%) | |||
| Cardiovascular disease | 53 (38) | 65 (40) | 0.63 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 34 (28) | 34 (21) | 0.26 |
| Hypertension | 80 (67) | 118 (74) | 0.23 |
| Cancer | 17 (14) | 27 (17) | 0.62 |
| Glucose-lowering medications, n (%) | |||
| Metformin | 63 (39) | 79 (44) | 0.16 |
| Insulin | 48 (30) | 39 (22) | 0.15 |
| Other oral antidiabetic agents | 50 (31) | 61 (34) | 0.25 |
| Antihypertensive drugs, n (%) | |||
| ACE inhibitors | 29 (50) | 38 (38) | 0.13 |
| β-Blockers | 34 (56) | 32 (33) | 0.007 |
| Diuretics | 30 (52) | 36 (38) | 0.13 |
| Antiplatelet drugs, n (%) | 29 (49) | 39 (40) | 0.32 |
| Anticoagulant drugs, n (%) | 52 (77) | 74 (68) | 0.17 |
| Respiratory rate (breaths/min) | 25.8 ± 0.7 | 23.7 ± 0.6 | 0.04 |
| Clinical score (0–7) | 4.4 ± 0.1 | 4.4 ± 0.08 | 0.88 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 30 ± 0.6 | 29 ± 0.4 | 0.18 |
| HbA1c (%) | 7.5 ± 0.1 | 7.5 ± 0.1 | 0.66 |
| HbA1c (mmol/mol) | 58.6 ± 1.2 | 58.6 ± 1.3 | 0.98 |
| Glycemia (mg/dL) | 188 ± 6.8 | 180 ± 6.7 | 0.38 |
| Serum creatinine (mg/dL) | 1.4 ± 0.08 | 1.2 ± 0.08 | 0.10 |
| Lymphocyte count (× 10−9/L) | 0.9 ± 0.06 | 1.1 ± 0.17 | 0.13 |
| CRP (mg/L) | 19 ± 2.3 | 14 ± 0.7 | 0.01 |
| D-dimer (μg/mL) | 6,377 ± 1,928 | 5,835 ± 1,391 | 0.82 |
| Interleukin-6 (ng/L) | 95 ± 9.7 | 89 ± 10.7 | 0.71 |
| LDH (units/L) | 423 ± 43 | 387 ± 16 | 0.43 |
| Ferritin (μg/mL) | 601 ± 48 | 688 ± 97 | 0.43 |
| AST (units/L) | 42 ± 3.0 | 43 ± 2.6 | 0.79 |
| ALT (units/L) | 38 ± 2.4 | 40 ± 2.9 | 0.74 |
| Procalcitonin (ng/mL) | 12.7 ± 4.4 | 8.3 ± 3.3 | 0.42 |
| Oxygen saturation (%) | 92 ± 0.7 | 92 ± 0.5 | 0.31 |
Data are mean ± SEM unless otherwise indicated. Other oral antidiabetic agents are metformin, sulfonylureas, GLP-1-receptor agonists, DPP-4 inhibitors, sodium–glucose cotransporter 1 inhibitors, glinides, and thiazolidinediones.
↵LDH, lactate dehydrogenase.