Little previous research has examined immunological effects of newer antidiabetic agents including DPP-4 inhibitors, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and SGLT-2 inhibitors.This study analyzed a large medical records database to look for associations between these drug classes and new diagnoses of various autoimmune conditions.No differences in autoimmune disease rates were seen between GLP-1 drugs and SGLT-2 inhibitors, but users of the former, compared with DPP-4 inhibitors, showed differences in rates for a number of these diseases.
Analysis of hundreds of thousands of patient records showed differing risks for autoimmune disorders for new users of the more recent types of antidiabetic medications.
Rates of new-onset autoimmune conditions were compared among patients starting on DPP-4 inhibitors, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and SGLT-2 inhibitors, according to a report by Jeffrey A. Sparks, MD, MMSc, of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues in ACR Open Rheumatology.
Compared with GLP-1 agonists, DPP-4 inhibitors were associated with less risk for plaque psoriasis (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.70-0.85), psoriatic arthritis (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.53-0.79), and autoimmune thyroiditis (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.59-0.76), but more risk for bullous pemphigoid (HR 1.78, 95% CI 1.24-2.46) and dermatomyositis (HR 2.18, 95% CI 1.24-3.53). For other autoimmune disorders, however, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and lupus, no significant differences were observed.
