Table 4: Risk-of-bias assessment of the trials included in the meta-analysis*
TrialSequence generation (selection bias)Allocation concealment (selection bias)Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)Blinding of outcome assessors (detection bias)Completeness of outcome data (attrition bias)Selective reporting (reporting bias)Academic biasSponsor bias
ADOPT, 20062026LowLowLowLowLowLowLowHigh
Campbell et al., 199427UnclearUnclearHighHighLowUnclearLowUnclear
Collier et al., 198928UnclearUnclearHighHighUnclearUnclearLowHigh
DeFronzo et al., 199529UnclearUnclearUnclearUnclearUnclearUnclearLowHigh
Derosa et al., 200442UnclearUnclearHighHighLowUnclearLowUnclear
Hermann et al., 1991a30LowUnclearHighHighUnclearUnclearLowHigh
Hermann et al., 1991b3134LowLowLowLowLowLowHighHigh
Kamel et al., 199735UnclearUnclearUnclearUnclearUnclearUnclearLowUnclear
Lawrence et al., 200436UnclearUnclearHighLowLowUnclearLowHigh
Tang et al., 200441UnclearUnclearHighHighUnclearUnclearLowLow
Tessier et al., 199937UnclearUnclearHighHighLowUnclearLowHigh
Tosi et al., 200338LowLowLowLowUnclearLowLowHigh
UKPDS 34, 19982,39,40LowLowHighLowUnclearHighLowHigh
Yamanouchi et al., 200543LowLowHighHighLowUnclearLowUnclear

Note: ADOPT = A Diabetes Outcome Progression Trial, UKPDS = United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study.
*The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to assess the risk of bias for each study. Low risk = bias, if present, is unlikely to alter the results seriously, unclear risk = bias raises some doubt about the results, high risk = bias may alter the results seriously.10