Increased Risk of Diabetes Among 6-24-Year-Olds Using Second Generation Antipsychotics

The goal of this study was to estimate the association between use of second generation antipsychotics (SGAs) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) among commercially insured children and young adults 6-24 years compared to users of non-SGA psychotropic medications.

Using the Truven MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database, new users of SGA and non-SGA psychotropic medications (anxiolytics, antidepressants, hypnotics, and mood stabilizers) between July 1, 2009 and December 31, 2013 who were 6-24 years of age and had continuous coverage ≥180 days before their index date (i.e., date of first fill of SGA or non-SGA psychotic) were identified. SGA users were propensity score (PS) matched to non-SGA psychotropic users at a 1:1 ratio. Individuals were followed until diabetes diagnosis, discontinuation or switch from index medication, end of continuous coverage, or end of the study period. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for incident T2DM for SGA users compared to non-SGA users.

A total of 45,289 SGA users and 932,336 non-SGA psychotropic users met inclusion criteria. In the PS matched sample, there were 102,028 patient-years of follow-up and median time to event was 202 days for SGA users (n = 43,407) and 290 days for non-SGA psychotropic users (n = 43,407). A total of 141 SGA users (33 cases per 10,000 patient-years) and 110 of the non-SGA psychotropic users (18 cases per 10,000 patient-years) developed T2DM. The SGA users had a 1.7 times higher risk of T2DM (HR 1.71, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.33-2.20) compared to non-SGA psychotropic users.

Risk of T2DM should be considered when evaluating the risk/benefit of SGA use among children and young adults. Future studies aimed at evaluating risk factors, diabetes prevention strategies, and effective management of the long-term consequences of T2DM in this vulnerable population are needed.