Author Interviews, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal Disease, Pharmacology / 22.03.2018
DPP-4 inhibitor Class of Diabetes Medications Linked To Increase Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Devin Abrahami, graduate student
Centre for Clinical Epidemiology, Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal
Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health
McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The goal of our study was to assess whether a class of antidiabetic drugs, the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, is associated with the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While these drugs control blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes, there is some evidence that they may also be involved in immune function, and possibly in conditions such as IBD.
In our study, we found that the use of DPP-4 inhibitors was associated with a 75% increased risk of IBD, with the highest risk observed after three to four years of use. (more…)