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DPP-4 inhibitors may improve the mortality of coronavirus disease 2019: A meta-analysis
Yan Yang1, Zixin Cai1, Jingjing Zhang1
1National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Key Laboratory of Diabetes Immunology, Ministry of Education, and Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Insights
Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors may reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19 and type 2 diabetes. Further large-scale research is needed to confirm these findings for DPP-4 inhibitors and COVID-19 outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Internal Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are commonly prescribed for type 2 diabetes.
- Emerging evidence suggests a potential protective role of DPP-4 inhibitors against severe outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that DPP-4 inhibitors offer a protective effect on the progression and mortality of COVID-19.
- To synthesize existing evidence through a meta-analysis.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library.
- Studies examining the association between DPP-4 inhibitor use and COVID-19 mortality were included.
- Publication bias was assessed using funnel plots, Begg's test, and Egger's test.
Main Results:
- Four studies comprising 1933 patients with COVID-19 and type 2 diabetes were analyzed.
- DPP-4 inhibitor use was significantly associated with a reduced risk of mortality (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.34-0.99).
Conclusions:
- DPP-4 inhibitors may be associated with improved mortality outcomes in patients with COVID-19 and type 2 diabetes.
- The current findings are based on a limited number of studies; larger-scale investigations are warranted to validate these results.
Aims:
DPP-4 inhibitors are predicted to exert a protective effect on the progression of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We conducted this meta-analysis to investigate this hypothesis.
Methods:
Four databases, namely, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library, were used to identify studies on DPP-4 and COVID-19. The outcome indicators were the mortality of COVID-19. Funnel plots, Begg's tests and Egger's tests were used to assess publication bias.
Results:
Four articles were included with a total of 1933 patients with COVID-19 and type 2 diabetes. The use of DPP-4 inhibitors was negatively associated with the risk of mortality (odds ratio (OR) = 0.58 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.34-0.99).
Conclusions:
DPP-4 inhibitors may improve the mortality of patients with COVID-19 and type 2 diabetes. As few relevant studies are available, more large-scale studies need to be performed.
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