Anti-diabetic drug use and reduced risk of Parkinson's disease: A community-based cohort study

Emerging evidence suggests a potential association between certain anti-diabetic drugs and a reduced risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). Limited population-based studies have investigated users of newer anti-diabetic drugs such as GLP-1 agonists or SGLT2 inhibitors.

The aim of this study was to assess the risk of PD among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who were treated with various types of anti-diabetic drugs over time.

A population-based cohort comprising T2DM patients aged over 30 who used metformin, GLP-1 agonists, thiazolidinediones, sulfonylureas, DPP4 inhibitors, SGLT2 inhibitors, or meglitinides between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2018. Data were obtained between the diabetes registration and drug purchase databases of Maccabi Healthcare Services. Time-dependent Cox regression models, adjusted for sex, age, and comorbidities were employed to calculate the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for the PD risk associated with different anti-diabetic drugs over time.

The study population comprised 86,229 T2DM patients, with 53.9 % males. The mean age at the first anti-diabetic drug purchase was 59.0 ± 11.0 and 62.0 ± 11.0 years for men and women respectively. Compared to metformin, several drug types were associated with a significantly lower PD risk: thiazolidinediones (HR = 0.91, 95 % CI:0.074-1.14); DPP4 inhibitors (HR = 0.60, 95 % CI:0.53-0.67); meglitinides (HR = 0.63, 95 % CI:0.53-0.74); GLP-1 agonists (HR = 0.54, 95 % CI:0.39-0.73); and SGLT2 inhibitors (HR = 0.15, 95 % CI:0.10-0.21).

Our results suggest a reduced risk of PD with certain anti-diabetic drugs, particularly SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 agonists. Validation through extensive big-data studies is essential to confirm these results and to optimize PD prevention and management.