Understanding the natural progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is crucial in determining the appropriate approaches to care and effective management among these patients. Patients with a diagnosis for T2DM between January 2012 to December 2013 and treated with a non-insulin glucose-lowering medication were identified from a large national health plan using medical and pharmacy claims. The first occurring diagnosis for T2DM was considered the index date. Patients were required to be enrolled ≥ 6 months prior to index and be 18-89 years at index. Based on presence or absence of diagnosis for T2DM during the pre-index period, patients were categorized as prevalent or incident. Patients were followed for a maximum of five years allowing longitudinal assessment of T2DM progression and trends in comorbidities, treatment regimens, and laboratory outcomes. The quarterly cohorts declined from 147,900 and 20,066 in 2Q2012 to 52,091 and 11,454 in 2Q2017 in the prevalent and incident cohorts, respectively. Despite the increasing utilization of glucose-lowering medications, glycemic control remained suboptimal, with increasing prevalence of complications such as kidney disease in both prevalent and incident cohorts as patients progressed through their diabetes.
R. Nair: Other Relationship; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. Z. Zhao: None. P. Gandhi: Employee; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.. Y. Li: None. K. Brodovicz: Employee; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Y.A. Meah: Employee; Self; Humana Inc. S. Kalirai: Employee; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. C. Moretz: None. M. MacKenzie: Other Relationship; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH. B. Curtis: Employee; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. T.G. Prewitt: None.
