A large new study based on health insurance data from more than 40,000 patients with type 2 diabetes found that those who used metformin manage high blood sugar were less likely to require total arthroplasty.
The research, published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal Scientists from China, Taiwan and Australia have shown an association between regular metformin use and an approximately 30% reduced likelihood of needing total or total knee replacement surgery. hip replacement. This association does not mean that metformin has been conclusively proven to cause a lower rate of joint replacements, according to the study authors.
Joint replacements are a common treatment for people with advanced osteoarthritis, a chronic joint disorder that often leaves older people in pain and unable to walk or perform other daily tasks. Diabetes has been linked with a bigger risk of osteoarthritis.
In the United States, the number of total knee and hip replacements is expected to reach 572,000 per year by 2030. No drugs are currently known to prevent or reverse osteoarthritis.
The current study suggests consistency benefits of metformin use for osteoarthritis management among patients with Type 2 diabetessays the study’s lead author Zhaohua Zhu, PhD, associate professor at Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University in China. “The findings could stimulate future clinical trials to test the efficacy and efficacy of metformin for the treatment of osteoarthritis.”
Previous studies have suggested that metformin may protect against osteoarthritis in people with diabetes
Dr. Zhu and colleagues analyzed data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database of patients with type 2 diabetes diagnosed between 2000 and 2012. The average age of those studied was 63 years, with participants almost evenly split between men and women; Patients were followed for approximately 14 years. The study team observed that approximately 90% of total joint replacements were related to osteoarthritis.
The new investigation confirms previous studies showing that metformin may provide protection against osteoarthritis. A report published in July 2022 in Scientific reportssuggested a potential protective effect of metformin on the worsening of knee osteoarthritis. another study, published in September 2022 in cellsrevealed that metformin can delay the development and progression of osteoarthritis.
Why might metformin be good for the joints?
Marilyn Tan, MD, an endocrinologist from Stanford University in California who was not involved in the study said metformin may protect against osteoarthritis by reducing overall inflammation.
“Better blood sugar control may improve the overall risk of infection and inflammation, and it’s possible that some of the decreased inflammation contributed to the lower rates of knee and joint replacement surgery. hip,” says Dr. Bronzer.
She adds, “Metformin is also generally considered a weight-neutral drug, but sometimes patients can lose weight, which could also help reduce the need for hip or knee replacement surgery.”
Metformin is not yet recommended for osteoarthritis without diabetes
According to Zhu, future trials should examine the effect of metformin on osteoarthritis, especially in overweight osteoarthritis patients.
Tan cautions that she wouldn’t go so far as to recommend metformin at this time for people with osteoarthritis who don’t have diabetes.
“Further studies are needed to elucidate the exact mechanism of the association between metformin and joint replacement risk,” Tan said. “Metformin is not FDA approved for use in non-diabetic patients, but it would be interesting to see the effects of metformin on osteoarthritis in non-diabetic patients.”
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