NEUROLOGY
GLP-1s may lower epilepsy risk, study finds
Findings could contribute to bringing down the epilepsy burden worldwide, according to researchers
January 6, 2025
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Newer glucose-lowering drugs reduce the risk for late-onset seizures and epilepsy by 24%, with glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) cutting the risk by 33%, according to a new meta-analysis presented at the American Epilepsy Society (AES) 78th Annual Meeting 2024.
The investigators looked at late-onset seizures and epilepsy (defined as diagnosed after age 55 years) in three classes of glucose-lowering drugs: GLP-1 RAs, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, and sodium-glucose transport protein 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors.The meta-analysis included 27 randomised controlled trials of these drugs with a total population of 197,910 adults (102,939 randomized to receive the drug and 94,971 randomized to receive placebo). The analysis included five trials for DPP-4 inhibitors, eight for GLP-1 RAs, and 14 for SGLT2 inhibitors. The oldest trial was in 2013 and the most recent in 2023.The studies investigated cardiovascular and renal outcomes and reported seizure or epilepsy as adverse events.The study was published recently in the journal Epilepsia Open.