GLP-1 drugs for diabetes and weight loss can also help control asthma

GLP-1 receptor agonists are a type of medication that imitates peptide-1 of the glucagon type hormone type to help regulate blood sugar, increase insulin secretion, reduce gastric emptying and increase the satiety of appetite.

These drugs treat type 2 diabetes and contribute to weight loss in overweight people or have obesity. GLP-1s have shown anti-inflammatory effects, and since An inflammatory response triggers asthmaThe researchers of this study wanted to see what effects these drugs have on people with obesity and asthma.

The study examined around 60,000 people, including more than 10,000 people with obesity and asthma taking drugs GLP-1 and around 50,000 paired witnesses. Researchers have used optimal patient care database data.

In order to qualify for inclusion in the study, participants had to have undergone a consultation on asthma within 12 months before starting the drug GLP-1. They also had to be at least 18 years old and have a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30, which indicates obesity.

Each participant of the GLP-1 group was paired 5: 1 with participants who had similar characteristics but had not taken GLP-1 medicines.

The researchers used an average of 3 years of follow-up data to determine to what extent asthmatic people who were under GLP-1 drugs spoke to people in the paired group.

They used the control scores of the basic risk domain of the participants (RDAC) and the global scores for the control of asthma (OAC) and compared them to the scores taken during the follow -up.

Although the GLP-1 group has a higher average BMI and a worst asthma control before starting GLP-1 medications, they had “significant” improvements in their asthma scores after having been under medicine GLP-1 for a year.

The GLP-1 group did not differ much from the paired group at the end of the study in terms of pulmonary function. The authors point to missing data due to the COVVI-19 pandemic on this measure.

“Obese asthmatics are unique in that they are often resistant to steroids, and it is possible that mechanistic differences in obese asthmatic and weight loss with GLP1 can have pleomorphic effects on inflammation beyond weight loss,” noted the authors of the study.

Overall, the study results show that GLP-1 drugs have the potential to have a positive impact on asthma in people with obesity. However, additional research is necessary, in particular to determine if these drugs can one day be used to deal with respiratory problems.

Jimmy Johannes, MD, Pulmonologist and specialist in intensive care medicine at the Memorialcare Long Beach Medical Center, spoke with Medical news today on the study.

“This study also supports the link between weight loss, in this case with GLP-1 drugs and improving asthma control,” said Johannes. “It also raises the possibility that GLP-1 drugs can be useful for the treatment of asthma.”

Johannes discussed the mechanism by which GLP-1 drugs improved asthma and noted that there are GLP-1 receptors in the lungs.

“GLP-1 receptor agonists may be able to directly reduce inflammation and hyperreactivity of the respiratory tract that contributes to asthma,” said Johannes.

Thomas Kilkenny, Do, director of the Institute of Sleep Medicine, Pulmonary Care and Intensive Care at the University Hospital of Staten Island in Northwell, also spoke with Mnt on the study.

Kilkenny did not think that the study properly demonstrated that GLP-1 drugs were responsible for improving asthma control and suggested that improvements could be linked to weight loss.

Is it GLP-1 or weight loss?

“It has been demonstrated several times in the past, and various studies show that weight loss alone improves asthma control. This study did not comment if the drug GLP-1 had a direct effect on the physiology of asthma control. »»
– Thomas Kilkenny, do

Kilkenny explained that weight loss alone improves asthma control for several reasons, including “a decrease in low -grade inflammation which is associated with obesity”.