Diabetes Patients May Benefit From GLP-1 Medications

(VOR News) – Individuals with diabetes utilising GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic or Mounjaro, may be gaining an additional benefit, as suggested by recent research findings. This advantage is a diminished probability of developing a potentially fatal blood clot.

The study’s findings revealed that diabetic patients on specific medications exhibited a twenty percent reduced risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) compared to those on alternative diabetic treatments.

Dr. Rushad Patell, the principal author of the study, remarked that “from a public health perspective, considering the widespread use of these [GLP-1] drugs, there exists potential to ascertain whether the overall incidence of VTE could be diminished at a national or population level as a consequence of this study.”

This pertains to the prevalence of diabetes medications.

Given the escalating risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), it is plausible that this will result in a shift of the curve in the contrary direction.

At the American Society of Haematology’s (ASH) annual meeting, which took place in San Diego on Sunday, his team gave a presentation of their research findings. The meeting took place in San Diego.

It is essential to keep these data in a preliminary form until they are published in a peer-reviewed publication because they were presented at a diabetes medical congress. At the convention, the results were presented.

The researchers highlighted that vein thromboembolism (VTE) is a prevalent clot formation in veins that can pose significant risks. The two predominant forms of venous thromboembolism are pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Pulmonary embolisms are defined by the migration of blood clots to the lungs, whereas deep vein thromboses (DVTs) are defined by the formation of blood clots in the legs.

Any form of venous thromboembolism (VTE) can lead to hospitalisation and potentially death if left untreated.

Could the newly discovered GLP-1 diabetic medications, which have achieved significant market success, aid in the prevention of venous thromboembolism?

Over 558,000 individuals in the United States were registered in a comprehensive health care database, and Patell’s team monitored the outcomes of these participants to gather information regarding the circumstances.

Patients were categorised into two groups, each including roughly 279,000 individuals: those utilising a GLP-1 drug for diabetes control and those receiving an older class of diabetes medication referred to as DPP4i. Patients with comparable health conditions were divided into these two groups. DPP4 inhibitors, conversely, do not induce weight loss in the manner that specific GLP-1 medications do.

In comparison to the cohort receiving alternative diabetes treatment, the group administered GLP-1 therapy exhibited an average incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) of 6.5 per 1,000 patients after one year.

Clots per 1,000 patients in the alternative diabetes cohort were 7.9.

According to Patell and his colleagues, the risk of blood clot formation was diminished by twenty percent as a result of this. The occurrence of pulmonary embolisms and deep vein thromboses (DVTs) has been shown to be decreasing.

The researchers found that the patient’s obesity status before taking GLP-1 did not affect the advantages regarding clotting risk, which were consistent regardless of the individual’s weight. The ambiguity remains over whether the decreased clotting risk associated with GLP-1s is due to weight loss in individuals or if an alternative mechanism is involved. There is insufficient comprehension concerning this issue.

“Further studies are necessary to ascertain the potential mechanism, whether via weight loss or alternative methods,” Patell stated in a news release disseminated at an ASH convention: “We must identify the potential mechanism through weight loss.”

The study could not establish that the use of GLP-1s was the cause of the reduction in clotting due to its retrospective design. The study was conducted, which was the reason for this situation. Consequently, Patell and his associates have asserted that a prospective clinical trial is essential to validate the evidence reported to date. Patell asserts that the newly acquired data may still offer direction to individuals with diabetes and the medical experts who manage their care.

His hypothesis is that this finding implies potential advantages in choosing a GLP-1 receptor agonist as an antidiabetic drug for patients. He stated, “It is crucial to consider thrombotic risk when selecting an antidiabetic agent for a patient.”

SOURCE: USN