TNF Inhibitors Reduced Diabetes Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis

ATLANTA — Use of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 60% in a single-center study.

Dr. Jana Antohe of Geisinger Health System in Danville, Penn., and her colleagues followed 1,287 nondiabetic incident rheumatoid arthritis patients identified during January 2001–March 2008 at a rural tertiary health center.

The researchers compared the 884 patients who had never used TNF inhibitors with the 403 patients who had ever used them. Patients in the ever-use group had a higher median body mass index and C-reactive protein (CRP) level than did the never-use group, but these differences were not significant.

After a median follow-up time of 35 months for the ever users and 23 months for the never users, the researchers identified 13 new cases of diabetes in the ever-use group and 43 in the never-use group, for incidence rates of 11/1,000 and 22/1,000 person-years, respectively.

The median age of the patients was 61 years, the median BMI was 28.6 kg/m

Dr. Antohe had no financial conflicts to disclose. Several of her co-investigators have received research grants from pharmaceutical companies including Wyeth, Amgen, and Centocor.

ATLANTA — Use of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 60% in a single-center study.

Dr. Jana Antohe of Geisinger Health System in Danville, Penn., and her colleagues followed 1,287 nondiabetic incident rheumatoid arthritis patients identified during January 2001–March 2008 at a rural tertiary health center.

The researchers compared the 884 patients who had never used TNF inhibitors with the 403 patients who had ever used them. Patients in the ever-use group had a higher median body mass index and C-reactive protein (CRP) level than did the never-use group, but these differences were not significant.

After a median follow-up time of 35 months for the ever users and 23 months for the never users, the researchers identified 13 new cases of diabetes in the ever-use group and 43 in the never-use group, for incidence rates of 11/1,000 and 22/1,000 person-years, respectively.

The median age of the patients was 61 years, the median BMI was 28.6 kg/m

Dr. Antohe had no financial conflicts to disclose. Several of her co-investigators have received research grants from pharmaceutical companies including Wyeth, Amgen, and Centocor.

ATLANTA — Use of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 60% in a single-center study.

Dr. Jana Antohe of Geisinger Health System in Danville, Penn., and her colleagues followed 1,287 nondiabetic incident rheumatoid arthritis patients identified during January 2001–March 2008 at a rural tertiary health center.

The researchers compared the 884 patients who had never used TNF inhibitors with the 403 patients who had ever used them. Patients in the ever-use group had a higher median body mass index and C-reactive protein (CRP) level than did the never-use group, but these differences were not significant.

After a median follow-up time of 35 months for the ever users and 23 months for the never users, the researchers identified 13 new cases of diabetes in the ever-use group and 43 in the never-use group, for incidence rates of 11/1,000 and 22/1,000 person-years, respectively.

The median age of the patients was 61 years, the median BMI was 28.6 kg/m

Dr. Antohe had no financial conflicts to disclose. Several of her co-investigators have received research grants from pharmaceutical companies including Wyeth, Amgen, and Centocor.