Glycemic and serum lipid control in patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy treated with pregabalin

To evaluate pregabalin effects on glycemic (hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c] and glucose) and lipid (low- and high-density lipoprotein [LDL and HDL, respectively], and total cholesterol, and triglycerides) control in patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN).

Data from 11 randomized, double-blind trials were pooled to assess change-from-baseline treatment differences (pregabalin or placebo) in glycemic and lipid parameters using analysis of covariance.

Patients received pregabalin doses (mg/d) of 150 (n=176), 300 (n=559), 600 (n=705), 150-600 (flexible dose, n=521), or placebo (n=1050). Statistically significant mean [95% confidence interval] within-treatment (pregabalin) changes occurred in HDL (600mg/d: -1.61mg/dl [-3.17, -0.05]), total cholesterol (flexible dose: -6.03mg/dl [-11.68, -0.39]), and triglycerides (flexible dose: +15.39mg/dl [1.56, 29.23]). Statistically significant differences from placebo were found in HbA1c (300mg/d: +0.11% [0.01, 0.21]) and HDL cholesterol (300mg/d: -1.78mg/dl [-3.36, -0.19], 600mg/d: -2.53mg/dl [-4.49, -0.57]). No within- or between-treatment changes were large enough to be clinically meaningful.

No apparent clinically meaningful effects of pregabalin on glycemic/lipid control were found in patients with pDPN.