Table 1 Comparable demographic features among TCM users and non-TCM users after 1:1 propensity score matching
|  | TCM users (n = 34,441) | TCM nonusers (n = 34,441) | Standardized mean difference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gender | Â | Â | Â | Â | 0.068 |
 Female | 14,455 | (42.0%) | 15,623 | (45.4%) |  |
 Male | 19,986 | (58.0%) | 18,818 | (54.6%) |  |
Age (years) |  |  |  |  | −0.017 |
 -20 | 24 | (0.1%) | 49 | (0.1%) |  |
 21–40 | 716 | (2.1%) | 1072 | (3.1%) |  |
 41–60 | 8429 | (24.5%) | 10,140 | (29.4%) |  |
 61- | 25,272 | (73.4%) | 23,180 | (67.3%) |  |
Insured level (NTD/month) |  |  |  |  | −0.068 |
 0–20,000 | 30,012 | (87.1%) | 28,832 | (83.7%) |  |
 20,001–40,000 | 2330 | (6.8%) | 3343 | (9.7%) |  |
 40,001– | 2099 | (6.1%) | 2266 | (6.6%) |  |
Geolocation | Â | Â | Â | Â | 0.030 |
 1 (more urban) | 8495 | (24.7%) | 8648 | (25.1%) |  |
 2 | 9400 | (27.3%) | 9630 | (28.0%) |  |
 3 | 5173 | (15.0%) | 5311 | (15.4%) |  |
 4 | 6273 | (18.2%) | 6058 | (17.6%) |  |
 5 | 1063 | (3.1%) | 1020 | (3.0%) |  |
 6 | 2157 | (6.3%) | 2028 | (5.9%) |  |
 7 (more rural) | 1880 | (5.5%) | 1746 | (5.1%) |  |
Previous TCM users | 868 | (2.5%) | 2962 | (8.6%) | −0.181 |
Comorbidities | |||||
 Hypertension | 22,578 | (65.6%) | 21,575 | (62.6%) | 0.060 |
 Hyperlipidemia | 10,659 | (30.9%) | 10,979 | (31.9%) | −0.020 |
 Heart failure | 2147 | (6.2%) | 2030 | (5.9%) | 0.015 |
 IHD | 7123 | (20.7%) | 6867 | (19.9%) | 0.019 |
 CVD | 3143 | (9.1%) | 3016 | (8.8%) | 0.013 |
 Hyperuricemia | 4242 | (12.3%) | 4060 | (11.8%) | 0.017 |
 COPD | 4207 | (12.2%) | 4180 | (12.1%) | 0.002 |
 CCI | 4.2 | (1.9) | 4.0 | (2.0) | 0.088 |
 Modified DCSI score | 1.5 | (1.3) | 1.4 | (1.3) | 0.035 |
Confounding drugs | |||||
 Diabetic drugs | |||||
  Insulin analogs | 3716 | (10.8%) | 3534 | (10.3%) | 0.018 |
  Biguanides | 19,275 | (56.0%) | 19,019 | (55.2%) | 0.015 |
  SU | 22,281 | (64.7%) | 21,990 | (63.8%) | 0.018 |
  Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors | 3597 | (10.4%) | 3577 | (10.4%) | 0.002 |
  TZD | 4560 | (13.2%) | 4597 | (13.3%) | −0.003 |
  Others | 2612 | (7.6%) | 2523 | (7.3%) | 0.010 |
 Lipid-lowering agent |  |  |  |  |  |
  Statin | 8342 | (23.3%) | 8291 | (23.2%) | 0.005 |
  Fibrate | 4003 | (11.2%) | 4000 | (11.2%) | 0.000 |
  Others | 104 | (0.3%) | 90 | (0.3%) | 0.008 |
 Anti-hypertensives | |||||
  ACEi | 9369 | (27.2%) | 8976 | (26.1%) | 0.026 |
  ARB | 9511 | (27.6%) | 9029 | (26.2%) | 0.032 |
  α-blocker | 2653 | (7.7%) | 2452 | (7.1%) | 0.023 |
  β-blocker | 10,484 | (30.4%) | 10,181 | (29.6%) | 0.019 |
  CCB | 16,008 | (46.5%) | 15,137 | (44.0%) | 0.051 |
  Diuretics | 10,402 | (30.2%) | 9816 | (28.5%) | 0.038 |
  Vasodilator | 4640 | (13.5%) | 4464 | (13.0%) | 0.015 |
  Central-acting agent | 2653 | (7.7%) | 2452 | (7.1%) | 0.027 |
 Analgesics | |||||
  NSAID | 10,429 | (30.3%) | 10,839 | (31.5%) | −0.025 |
  COX-2 inhibitors | 1785 | (5.2%) | 1685 | (4.9%) | 0.014 |
  Acetaminophen | 8672 | (25.2%) | 9103 | (26.4%) | −0.028 |
Aspirin | 11,949 | (34.7%) | 11,574 | (33.6%) | 0.023 |