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.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report? 

Response: We identified a novel adverse event associated with the use of DPP-4 inhibitors, which contributes to the overall safety profile of this drug class. This study also opens the door to new research to try to understand the etiology of inflammatory bowel disease, and the potential role of the DPP-4 enzyme in the development of this disease.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work? 

Response: As this is the first study assessing the relationship between the use of DPP-4 inhibitors and the risk of IBD, additional research is needed to corroborate our findings. Further studies are also needed to understand the role of the DPP-4 enzyme in the development of inflammatory bowel disease. 

Citations:
Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors and incidence of inflammatory bowel disease among patients with type 2 diabetes: population based cohort study

BMJ 2018360
 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k872 (Published 21 March 2018)
 Devin Abrahami, graduate student, Antonios Douros, post-doctoral fellow,
Hui Yin, statistician, Oriana Hoi Yun Yu, endocrinologist, Christel Renoux, assistant professor of neurology and neurosurgery, Alain Bitton, gastroenterologist, Laurent Azoulay, associate professor of epidemiology and oncology

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Last Updated on March 22, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD