Characteristics of Patients Who Received Either a New Metformin or a New Sulfonylurea Prescription Fill, Stratified by Race (N = 73,761)
| Covariate | White (n = 63,202) | African American (n = 10,559) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metformin (n = 47,821) | Sulfonylurea (n = 15,381) | P Value | Metformin (n = 8,038) | Sulfonylurea (n = 2,521) | P Value | |
| Index year, no. (%) | ||||||
| 2002-2004 | 2,274 (4.8) | 1,379 (9.0) | 286 (3.6) | 200 (7.9) | ||
| 2005-2006 | 13,899 (29.1) | 6,829 (44.4) | 2,209 (27.5) | 1,041 (41.3) | ||
| 2007-2008 | 12,999 (27.2) | 3,715 (24.2) | <.001 | 2,034 (25.3) | 602 (23.9) | <.001 |
| 2009-2010 | 10,805 (22.6) | 2,211 (14.4) | 1,948 (24.2) | 433 (17.2) | ||
| 2011-2012 | 7,844 (16.4) | 1,247 (8.1) | 1,561 (19.4) | 245 (9.7) | ||
| Sociodemographic related | ||||||
| Age, y, mean (±SD) | 60.4 (±8.1) | 64.1 (±9.4) | <.001 | 57.6 (±7.0) | 59.9 (±8.5) | <.001 |
| Age category, y, no. (%) | ||||||
| 50-64 | 32,914 (68.8) | 7,897 (51.3) | 6,543 (81.4) | 1,782 (70.7) | ||
| 65-74 | 11,633 (24.3) | 4,781 (31.1) | <.001 | 1,276 (15.9) | 548 (21.7) | <.001 |
| ≥75 | 3,274 (6.8) | 2,703 (17.6) | 219 (2.7) | 191 (7.6) | ||
| Male sex, no. (%) | 46,352 (96.9) | 15,001 (97.5) | .0001 | 7,603 (94.6) | 2,446 (97.0) | <.001 |
| Married, no. (%) | 29,057 (60.8) | 9,492 (61.7) | .036 | 3,888 (48.4) | 1,174 (46.6) | .114 |
| Low nSES, no. (%) | 22,544 (47.1) | 7,590 (49.3) | <.001 | 5,171 (64.3) | 1,694 (67.2) | .009 |
| VHA insurance only, no. (%) | 21,703 (45.4) | 6,002 (39.0) | <.001 | 4,626 (57.6) | 1,418 (56.2) | .248 |
| High health care use, no. (%) | 11,500 (24.0) | 3,878 (25.2) | .003 | 2,353 (29.3) | 781 (31.0) | .102 |
| Diabetes related | ||||||
| Diabetic nephropathy, no. (%) | 506 (1.1) | 247 (1.6) | <.001 | 89 (1.1) | 43 (1.7) | .018 |
| Diabetic retinopathy, no. (%) | 2,267 (4.7) | 1,008 (6.6) | <.001 | 393 (4.9) | 167 (6.6) | .001 |
| Diabetic neuropathy, no. (%) | 3,332 (7.0) | 1,364 (8.9) | <.001 | 433 (5.4) | 185 (7.3) | .0003 |
| HbA1c value, %, mean (±SD) | 7.1 (±1.3) | 7.4 (±1.5) | <.001 | 7.4 (±1.6) | 7.7 (±1.9) | <.001 |
| HbA1c category, no. (%) | ||||||
| <7% | 25,738 (53.8) | 7,157 (46.5) | 3,891 (48.4) | 984 (39.0) | ||
| 7-8% | 14,519 (30.4) | 4,920 (32.0) | <.001 | 2,598 (32.3) | 833 (33.0) | <.001 |
| >8% | 7,564 (15.8) | 3,304 (21.5) | 1,549 (19.3) | 704 (27.9) | ||
| Creatinine value, mg/dL, mean (±SD) | 1.0 (±0.2) | 1.1 (±0.2) | <.001 | 1.0 (±0.2) | 1.1 (±0.2) | <.001 |
| Other comorbidities | ||||||
| Obesity, no. (%) | 30,193 (63.1) | 8,023 (52.2) | <.001 | 4,684 (58.3) | 1,162 (46.1) | <.001 |
| Hypertension, no. (%) | 43,223 (90.4) | 14,103 (91.7) | <.001 | 7,427 (92.4) | 2,324 (92.2) | .726 |
| Hyperlipidemia, no. (%) | 42,570 (89.0) | 13,348 (86.8) | <.001 | 6,417 (79.8) | 1,835 (72.8) | <.001 |
| Stroke, no. (%) | 3,029 (6.3) | 1,275 (8.3) | <.001 | 489 (6.1) | 207 (8.2) | .0002 |
| Ischemic heart disease, no. (%) | 22,979 (48.1) | 8,535 (55.5) | <.001 | 2,851 (35.5) | 977 (38.8) | .003 |
| Congestive heart failure, no. (%) | 7,797 (16.3) | 3,812 (24.8) | <.001 | 989 (12.3) | 408 (16.2) | <.001 |
| Atrial fibrillation, no. (%) | 6,158 (12.9) | 2,933 (19.1) | <.001 | 504 (6.3) | 195 (7.7) | .01 |
| Traumatic brain injury, no. (%) | 3,045 (6.4) | 948 (6.2) | .366 | 489 (6.1) | 149 (5.9) | .75 |
| Vitamin B12 deficiency, no. (%) | 2,370 (5.0) | 873 (5.7) | .0004 | 292 (3.6) | 85 (3.4) | .538 |
| Psychiatric and substance comorbidities | ||||||
| Depression, no. (%) | 14,231 (29.8) | 3,934 (25.6) | <.001 | 2,334 (29.0) | 612 (24.3) | <.001 |
| PTSD, no. (%) | 9,357 (19.6) | 2,347 (15.3) | <.001 | 2,089 (26.0) | 542 (21.5) | <.001 |
| Other anxiety, no. (%)a | 7,022 (14.7) | 2,054 (13.4) | <.001 | 847 (10.5) | 234 (9.3) | .07 |
| Bipolar disorder, no. (%) | 3,909 (8.2) | 1,017 (6.6) | <.001 | 650 (8.1) | 173 (6.9) | .045 |
| Schizophrenia, no. (%) | 2,335 (4.9) | 673 (4.4) | .01 | 809 (10.1) | 254 (10.1) | .988 |
| Nicotine abuse/dependence, no. (%) | 25,423 (53.2) | 7,817 (50.8) | <.001 | 4,630 (57.6) | 1,442 (57.2) | .722 |
| Alcohol abuse/dependence, no. (%) | 7,190 (15.0) | 2,019 (13.1) | <.001 | 2,008 (25.0) | 612 (24.3) | .474 |
| Illicit drug abuse/dependence, no. (%) | 3,139 (6.6) | 849 (5.5) | <.001 | 1,524 (19.0) | 488 (19.4) | .658 |
| Other medicationsb | ||||||
| Statins, no. (%) | 34,418 (72.0) | 10,643 (69.2) | <.001 | 4,896 (60.9) | 1,380 (54.7) | <.001 |
| Anticholinergics, no. (%) | 21,443 (44.8) | 6,592 (42.9) | <.001 | 4,035 (50.2) | 1,208 (47.9) | .046 |
| NSAIDs, no. (%) | 26,919 (56.3) | 7,662 (49.8) | <.001 | 5,272 (65.6) | 1,522 (60.4) | <.001 |
| Antihypertensives, no. (%) | 41,827 (87.5) | 13,665 (88.8) | <.001 | 7,057 (87.8) | 2,216 (87.9) | .887 |
HbA1c = hemoglobin A1c; NSAID = nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; nSES = neighborhood socioeconomic status; PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder; VHA = Veterans Health Administration.
↵a Other anxiety disorders = panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety not otherwise specified.
↵b Other medications = sustained use before metformin or sulfonylurea (at least 2 fills in a 6-month period).