GLP-1 receptor agonists reduce risk of death from cardiovascular causes in diabetic patients

China: In studies assessing cardiovascular outcomes, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist medication might lower the risk of mortality from cardiovascular causes and fatal or nonfatal stroke compared to placebo, says an article published in BMC Journal.

Patients with type 2 diabetes are at a very high risk of cardiovascular events, including mortality from cardiovascular causes, fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction, and fatal or non-fatal stroke. GLP-1 receptor agonists, which are used as glucose-lowering chemotherapeutic drugs in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, have been demonstrated to alter the incidence of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, albeit the data are inconsistent. The cardiovascular clinical manifestations of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients remain debatable. Jing Qin and colleagues conducted this study to assess the risk of cardiovascular events associated with GLP-1 (exenatide, albiglutide, liraglutide, lixisenatide, semaglutide, and dulaglutide) receptor agonists in T2DM patients.

From inception to June 2019, PubMed and Embase were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the impact of GLP-1 receptor agonists on cardiovascular events in T2DM patients. All eligible studies' T2DM patients received either GLP-1 medication or placebo, and the cardiovascular outcomes comprised mortality from cardiovascular causes, fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction, and fatal or non-fatal stroke.