Efficacy of hypoglycemic treatment in type 2 diabetes stratified by age or diagnosed age: a meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

Aim: To compare the effects of blood glucose lowering regimens in groups of patients categorized by baseline age and diagnosed age.

Methods: Placebo-controlled randomized trials in type 2 diabetes patients with a study length ≥12 weeks were included.

Results: A total of 246 trials were included. HbA1c changes from baseline corrected by placebo were comparable in sulfonylurea treatment between older and younger patients’ groups (weighted mean difference (WMD), –1.28% vs –0.92%, p > 0.05). Treatment with metformin between groups resulted in a comparable change in HbA1c levels (WMD, –0.97% vs –1.23%, p > 0.05). Treatment with α–glucosidase inhibitor (WMD, –0.68% vs –0.67%, p > 0.05), treatment with thiazolidinedione (WMD, –0.74% vs –1.01%, p > 0.05), treatment with DPP-4 inhibitors (WMD, –0.67% vs –0.67%, p > 0.05), and treatment with SGLT2 inhibitors (WMD, –0.54% vs –0.67%, p > 0.05) between groups also resulted in comparable HbA1c changes. Treatment with GLP-1 analogs between groups in HbA1c changes were also comparable (p > 0.05). Regression analysis indicated that the baseline age or diagnosed age was not associated with the HbA1c changes from baseline.

Conclusion: In each hypoglycemic treatment, the baseline age or diagnosed age was not associated with the HbA1c changes from baseline.

KEYWORDS:

• Age
• diagnosed age
• type 2 diabetes mellitus
• HbA1c

Acknowledgments

We thank the doctors, nurses and technicians for their practical work during the study at Peking University People’s Hospital Endocrinology and Metabolism Department.

Declaration of interest

This meta-analysis was supported by the National High-technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program 2012AA02A509) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (81000334). The funding agencies had no role in the study design, data collection or analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) [81000334]; the National High-technology Research and Development Program of China [863 Program 2012AA02A509].

Notes on contributors

Xiaoling Cai

L Ji and X Cai conceived and designed the systematic review protocol; W Yang, X Gao and L Zhou performed the study selection and data extraction; X Cai, Y Chen and X Han performed the statistical analyses; and X Cai, S Zhang and L Ji prepared the manuscript outlines and drafts. All authors contributed to the critical revision of manuscript drafts, as well as giving final approval for submitted manuscript content.

Wenjia Yang

L Ji and X Cai conceived and designed the systematic review protocol; W Yang, X Gao and L Zhou performed the study selection and data extraction; X Cai, Y Chen and X Han performed the statistical analyses; and X Cai, S Zhang and L Ji prepared the manuscript outlines and drafts. All authors contributed to the critical revision of manuscript drafts, as well as giving final approval for submitted manuscript content.

Yifei Chen

L Ji and X Cai conceived and designed the systematic review protocol; W Yang, X Gao and L Zhou performed the study selection and data extraction; X Cai, Y Chen and X Han performed the statistical analyses; and X Cai, S Zhang and L Ji prepared the manuscript outlines and drafts. All authors contributed to the critical revision of manuscript drafts, as well as giving final approval for submitted manuscript content.

Xueying Gao

L Ji and X Cai conceived and designed the systematic review protocol; W Yang, X Gao and L Zhou performed the study selection and data extraction; X Cai, Y Chen and X Han performed the statistical analyses; and X Cai, S Zhang and L Ji prepared the manuscript outlines and drafts. All authors contributed to the critical revision of manuscript drafts, as well as giving final approval for submitted manuscript content.

Lingli Zhou

L Ji and X Cai conceived and designed the systematic review protocol; W Yang, X Gao and L Zhou performed the study selection and data extraction; X Cai, Y Chen and X Han performed the statistical analyses; and X Cai, S Zhang and L Ji prepared the manuscript outlines and drafts. All authors contributed to the critical revision of manuscript drafts, as well as giving final approval for submitted manuscript content.

Simin Zhang

L Ji and X Cai conceived and designed the systematic review protocol; W Yang, X Gao and L Zhou performed the study selection and data extraction; X Cai, Y Chen and X Han performed the statistical analyses; and X Cai, S Zhang and L Ji prepared the manuscript outlines and drafts. All authors contributed to the critical revision of manuscript drafts, as well as giving final approval for submitted manuscript content.

Xueyao Han

L Ji and X Cai conceived and designed the systematic review protocol; W Yang, X Gao and L Zhou performed the study selection and data extraction; X Cai, Y Chen and X Han performed the statistical analyses; and X Cai, S Zhang and L Ji prepared the manuscript outlines and drafts. All authors contributed to the critical revision of manuscript drafts, as well as giving final approval for submitted manuscript content.

Linong Ji

L Ji and X Cai conceived and designed the systematic review protocol; W Yang, X Gao and L Zhou performed the study selection and data extraction; X Cai, Y Chen and X Han performed the statistical analyses; and X Cai, S Zhang and L Ji prepared the manuscript outlines and drafts. All authors contributed to the critical revision of manuscript drafts, as well as giving final approval for submitted manuscript content.