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Background: We evaluated the prevalence of vascular complications and associated risk factors in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) initiating second-line glucose-lowering therapy from the Middle East and Africa (MEA) cohort of the 3-year prospective DISCOVER study involving 15,992 patients in 38 countries. Methods: Baseline cross-sectional data collected from healthcare settings were used to assess micro and macrovascular complications prevalence as crude and age- and sex-standardised. The multi-variable analysis assessed factors associated with these complications. Results: Of 3,525 enrolled patients (mean age: 54.3 ± 10.8 years), >40% had hypertension and hyperlipidaemia. Metformin monotherapy was the first-line therapy in 56.5%, followed by metformin+sulphonylurea (20.3%). Crude and standardised prevalence of microvascular complications were 17.7% and 16.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 16.77-16.98) and macrovascular complications were 10.7% and 8.7% (95% CI, 8.59-8.76). Factors significantly (p<0.05) associated with micro and macrovascular complications (odds ratios [95% CI]) were age (1.24 [1.12-1.39] and 1.58 [1.35-1.84]), male sex (1.33 [1.04-1.70] and 1.71 [1.22-2.40]), hyperlipidaemia (1.33 [1.07-1.65] and 1.96 [1.46-2.63]) and hypertension (1.75 [1.40-2.19] and 2.84 [2.07-3.92]). Conclusion: A substantial burden of vascular complications with prominent risk factors in the MEA cohort calls for early preventive interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Despite the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and suboptimal glycemic control in the Middle East and Africa, comprehensive data on the management of T2D remain scarce. The main aim of this study is to describe the characteristics and treatment of patients with T2D initiating second-line glucose-lowering therapy in these regions. Methods: DISCOVER is a global, 3-year, prospective observational study of patients with T2D enrolled at initiation of second-line glucose-lowering therapy. Baseline characteristics and treatments are presented for patients from 12 countries divided into three regions: Mediterranean, Gulf Cooperation Council, and South Africa. Results: Among 3525 patients (52.5% male, mean age 54.3 years), mean time since T2D diagnosis was 6.2 years [across-region range (ARR) 5.8–7.5 years] and mean glycated hemoglobin levels were 8.7% (72.0 mmol/mol) [ARR 8.6–9.0% (68–75 mmol/mol)]. At first line, metformin was prescribed for 88.1% (ARR 85.4–90.3%) of patients and a sulfonylurea for 34.4% (ARR 12.7–45.4%). Sulfonylureas and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors were prescribed at second line for 55.5% (ARR 48.6–82.5%) and 49.0% (ARR 3.7–73.8%) of patients, respectively. Main reasons for choice of second-line therapy were efficacy (73.2%; ARR 60.1–77.7%) and tolerability (26.8%; ARR 3.7–31.2%). Conclusions: We demonstrate considerable inter-region variations in the management of T2D, likely affected by multiple factors (health system, physician behavior, and patient compliance), all of which should be addressed to optimize outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]