Risk for GERD higher with GLP-1 RA use compared to SGLT-2 inhibitor use: Study

A population-based cohort study emulating a target trial estimated the effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) compared with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors on the risk for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and its complications in patients with type 2 diabetes. The study found that incidence of GERD and its complications was higher among GLP-1 RA users, risk of GERD-related complications higher for smokers, patients with obesity, and patients with gastric-related comorbidities. The results are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers from McGill University and Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital in Montreal used the U.K. Clinical Practice Research Datalink to create a target trial emulation framework that evaluated the risk for GERD and its complications in patients aged 18 years or older with type 2 diabetes initiating GLP-1 RAs or SGLT-2 inhibitors. The study included 24,708 new users of GLP-1 RAs who had a median follow-up of 3 years and 89,096 new users of SGLT-2 inhibitors who had a median follow-up of 2.7 years. The primary outcome was diagnosis of GERD and secondary outcome was complications of GERD.