Characteristics of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus grouped by 5 classes of oral hypoglycemic agents based on assessment of treatment satisfaction

Abstract

We analyzed data on treatment satisfaction of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated with one oral hypoglycemic agent (OHA) and examined characteristics of the patients grouped by 5 classes of OHAs, i.e., sulfonylurea (SU), biguanide (BG), α-glucosidase inhibitor (αGI), thiazolidine insulin sensitizer (TZD), and dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-4) inhibitor. Treatment satisfaction was assessed by the Oral Hypoglycemic Agent Questionnaire (OHA-Q) and Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ). Out of 597 enrolled patients, we excluded 73 and included 524 (SU 107, BG 120, αGI 99, TZD 99, DPP-4 inhibitor 99) for statistical analyses. There were some significant between-group differences in background factors, such as age, duration of diabetes mellitus, body mass index (BMI), etc. After adjusting the factors using a multivariate model, there was a significant between-group difference only in treatment convenience out of three OHA-Q subscale scores. Relatively low treatment convenience was reported in the BG and αGI groups. Out of 20 OHA-Q item scores, there were significant between-group differences in six items, and the result was consistent with known side effects of each drug class, i.e., bodily swelling in the TZD group, hypoglycemia in the SU group, etc. Meanwhile, with regard to DTSQ, there was a significant between-group difference only in the hypoglycemia subscale out of the three subscales. These results showed the possibility of the treatment satisfaction scale to characterize OHAs from the patient’s standpoint. Therefore, treatment satisfaction scales, such as the OHA-Q, are expected to help each T2DM patient to choose the best OHA (or combination of OHAs) according to his/her condition and preference.