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Incretin therapies did not increase acute pancreatitis risk
SAN FRANCISCO — The use of incretin therapies did not increase the risk for acute pancreatitis, consistent with recent meta-analyses, according to data presented at the American Diabetes Association’s 74th Scientific Sessions.
“Incretin-based therapies have been increasingly used in the past 5 years for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. There have been concerns about them causing pancreatitis based on animal models. However, type 2 diabetes, per se, has been associated with a 1.5- to 2-fold increased risk of acute pancreatitis,” Reimar W. Thomsen, MD, PhD, of the department of clinical epidemiology at the Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark, said during a presentation here.
Reimar W. Thomsen
They examined the association between the use of GLP-1 receptor analogues and DPP-IV inhibitors, and the risk of acute pancreatitis among 12,868 patients with a first-time hospitalization with acute pancreatitis and 128,680 matched controls from 2005 to 2012.
Of those, 89 pancreatitis patients (0.69%) and 684 controls (0.53%) used incretins at least once; 54 (0.42%) with pancreatitis and 482 (0.37%) controls were current users, according to data.
They adjusted for previous diagnosis of gallstone diseases, alcoholism-related conditions, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, or any cancer as well as for comedications that have been associated with pancreatitis, Thomsen said.
Data indicated that patients with acute pancreatitis were 1.17 times more likely to be current incretin users vs. controls. However, after confounder adjustment, the risk for acute pancreatitis was increased among current incretin users (adjusted OR=0.81; 95% CI, 0.6-1.1), including current DPP-IV inhibitor users (aOR=0.78; 95% CI, 0.53-1.34) vs. non-users, according to data.
“Patients with acute pancreatitis are approximately 40% more likely to be users of any type of glucose-lowering drug, compared with others. After adjustments, the use of incretin-based therapies is not associated with the increased risk of acute pancreatitis,” Thomsen said. – by Samantha Costa
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
For more information: Thomsen RW. Abstract 154-OR. Presented at: American Diabetes Association’s 74th Scientific Sessions; June 13-17, 2014; San Francisco.