No differences in mortality between users of pancreatic-specific and non-pancreatic-specific sulphonylureas: a cohort analysis

Citation

Evans J, Ogston SA, Reimann F, Gribble FM, Morris AD & Pearson ER (2008) No differences in mortality between users of pancreatic-specific and non-pancreatic-specific sulphonylureas: a cohort analysis. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 10 (4), pp. 350-352. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1463-1326.2007.00833.x

Abstract
To assess whether users of pancreatic-specific sulphonylureas are at reduced risk of mortality and cardiovascular mortality compared with users of non-specific sulphonylureas, we conducted a cohort study in the population of Tayside, Scotland. We identified 3331 patients with type 2 diabetes who were newly treated with sulphonylureas between 1994 and 2001 and categorized them into those treated with only pancreatic-specific sulphonylureas and those treated with only non-specific sulphonylureas. The risks of mortality and cardiovascular mortality were compared in a survival analysis. There were 2914 patients treated with pancreatic-specific sulphonylureas only, of which 683 (23.4%) died. Of 186 patients treated with non-specific drugs only, 40 (21.5%) died. After adjusting for confounding factors, the adjusted risk ratios (with 95% CI) for mortality and cardiovascular mortality were 0.84 (0.61 to 1.17) and 0.81 (0.59 to 1.11) among the non-specific users compared with the pancreatic-specific users. This provides no evidence that there are differences between the two sulphonylureas types.

Keywords
Cardiovascular risk; Metformin; Sulphonylureas

Journal
Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism: Volume 10, Issue 4