Abstract

ARDERIUS, Miguel et al. Liraglutide: Evaluation of Clinical Benefit in a Portuguese Population with Diabetes Difficult to Control. Medicina Interna [online]. 2016, vol.23, n.4, pp.16-21. ISSN 0872-671X.

Introduction: Liraglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist available in Portugal since January 2014. The authors intend to evaluate the clinical benefit of this new drug in a population of diabetic patients of high complexity, followed in a hospital consultation. Material and Methods: Descriptive study including patients with type 2 diabetes followed in Diabetes outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital treated with liraglutide. Analyzed data included weight, waist circumference, glycated hemoglobin, creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria/creatinine ratio. Results: We included 20 patients, age 62.5 years [54.7568], diabetes for 15 years [10-21.5] polymedicated with difficult glycemic control and good renal function. There was improvement in glycemic control after 3 months of treatment, but this was not maintained over time in most patients (median decrease of, in absolute value, 0.25% in glycated hemoglobin). There was a decrease of 2.25 kg in 12 months. The patients showed slight increase of creatinine and decreased glomerular filtration rate after 12 months, with no statistical significance. The drug proved to be safe and well tolerated. Discussion: There is great variability in the response to this new therapeutic tool both in terms of glycemic control and weight, with some patients showing significant benefit, even though not statistically significant globally. Conclusion: Liraglutide is a well-tolerated drug and useful in selected patients. In the overall population studied we did not find significant clinical benefit, but a subgroup of patients obtained improvement in glycemic and/or weight control.

Keywords : Blood Glucose; Body Weight/drug effects; Diabetes Mellitus; Type 2/drug therapy; Hypoglycemic Agents; Liraglutide; Portugal; Treatment Outcome.

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