Thiazolidinediones use reduces risk of rheumatoid arthritis in type 2 diabetes patients

Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) have demonstrated a potential protective effect against rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in preclinical studies. However, there needs to be more evidence from population-based studies.

This retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the relationship between TZD usage and RA incidence in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Researchers assembled a retrospective cohort of T2DM patients who were recent users of TZDs or alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs). Using an IPTW Cox model, they estimated the HR of RA incidence associated with TZD use compared to AGIs.

The study included 56,796 new users of AGIs and 14,892 new users of TZDs. The incidence of RA was 187.4 and 135.2 per 100,000 person-years in AGI and TZD users, respectively. TZD use was associated with a lower RA incidence than AGI use, with an HR of 0.72. HRs for cumulative TZD use of 0.51-4.0 years and > four years were 0.55 and 0.74, respectively. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses supported the primary analysis.

The co-author, Xiaowei Chen BS from the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, said that in our study, we found the use of thiazolidinediones to be linked to reduced incidence of Rheumatoid arthritis in type 2 diabetes patients.

Reference:

Zhao, H., Chen, X., Sun, Y., Shen, P., Lin, H., Sun, F., & Zhan, S. (2023). Associations between thiazolidinediones use and incidence of rheumatoid arthritis: A retrospective population‐based cohort study. Arthritis Care & Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.25277