Objectives

The DISCOVER study is a global, prospective, three- year- observational (non-interventional) study that was conducted in 37 countries throughout the world including Saudi Arabia and aimed to assess variations in treatment patterns and therapeutic outcomes in type 2 diabetic patients. The current manuscript is reporting data of DISCOVER study across different health sectors of various provinces in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Methods

In this study, 519 Saudi type 2 diabetics, non-insulin users, aged 18 years or older, initiating second line therapy, were selected from nine health institutes, in four out of five provinces in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected at baseline (initiation of 2nd line therapy) by the treating physician using an electronic case report form (eCRF) via a web-based data capture system. Each selected subject was asked to complete four self-administered questionnaires.

Results

The mean age of the studied population was 52.4 ± 11 years. Among the subjects selected from the nine medical centers, 55% were men, with almost 65% between the ages of 46 and 65 years. The oral agent used as 1st line in the majority of patients was metformin, prescribed in 89.2% of the study cohort. In the second line, sitagliptin was the most frequently used, at 61.8%. followed by gliclazide, glibenclamide, and glimepiride at 35.6%, 13.1%, and 12.7%, respectively.

Conclusion

Metformin, with or without sulfonylureas, is the most commonly prescribed first-line treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes, managed either in governmental institutions, or in the private sector. The most common second line drugs were DPP4 inhibitors, mainly sitagliptin, followed by the third and second generation of sulfonylureas. Drug affordability was not an issue, since the vast majority of the patients received medication free of charge.

中文翻译：

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沙特阿拉伯王国 2 型糖尿病一线和二线治疗的医生选择

目标

DISCOVER 研究是一项全球性、前瞻性、为期三年的观察性（非干预性）研究，在包括沙特阿拉伯在内的全球 37 个国家进行，旨在评估 2 型糖尿病患者的治疗模式和治疗结果的变化。目前的手稿报告了沙特阿拉伯王国各省不同卫生部门的 DISCOVER 研究数据。

方法

在这项研究中，从沙特阿拉伯五分之四的九个卫生机构中选择了 519 名 18 岁或以上的非胰岛素使用者、开始二线治疗的沙特 2 型糖尿病患者。治疗医师使用电子病例报告表（eCRF）通过基于网络的数据采集系统在基线（开始二线治疗）收集数据。每个选定的受试者都被要求完成四份自我管理的问卷。

结果

研究人群的平均年龄为 52.4 ± 11 岁。在从九个医疗中心选择的受试者中，55% 是男性，其中近 65% 的年龄在 46 至 65 岁之间。在大多数患者中用作第一线的口服药物是二甲双胍，89.2% 的研究队列使用了二甲双胍。在二线中，西格列汀是最常用的，为 61.8%。其次是格列齐特、格列本脲和格列美脲，分别为 35.6%、13.1% 和 12.7%。

结论

二甲双胍，加或不加磺脲类药物，是 2 型糖尿病患者最常用的一线治疗药物，由政府机构或私营部门管理。最常见的二线药物是 DPP4 抑制剂，主要是西格列汀，其次是第三代和第二代磺脲类药物。药物负担能力不是问题，因为绝大多数患者免费接受药物治疗。