The risk of overall mortality in patients with Type 2 diabetes receiving different combinations of sulfonylureas and metformin: a retrospective analysis
Diabetic Medicine,
Clinical Article
Pantalone KM et al. – The results did not identify an increased mortality risk among the different combinations of sulfonylureas and metformin, suggesting that overall mortality is not substantially influenced by the choice of sulfonylurea.
Methods- A retrospective cohort study was conducted using an academic health center enterprise–wide electronic health record system to identify 7320 patients with Type 2 diabetes (3768 initiators of glyburide (glibenclamide) and metformin, 2277 initiators of glipizide and metformin and 1275 initiators of glimepiride and metformin), ≥ 18 years of age and not on insulin or a non–insulin injectable at baseline.
- The patients were followed for mortality by documentation in the electronic health record and Social Security Death Index.
- Multivariable Cox models with propensity analysis were used to compare cohorts.
- No statistically significant difference in overall mortality risk was observed among the different combinations of sulfonylureas and metformin: glimepiride and metformin vs. glipizide and metformin (HR 1.03; 95% CI 0.89–1.20), glimepiride and metformin vs. glyburide (glibenclamide) and metformin (HR 1.08; 95% CI 0.90–1.30), or with glipizide and metformin vs. glyburide (glibenclamide) and metformin (HR 1.05; 95% CI 0.95–1.15).
