Collocation of metformin and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor is associated with increased risk of diabetes-related vascular dementia: A single hospital study in Northern Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have established a close link between diabetes mellitus (DM) and an increased risk of vascular dementia (VD). In this study, we evaluated the risk of VD in patients with type 2 diabetes who were on antidiabetic medications.

METHODS: There is a growing interest in observational and data-driven studies to answer specific research questions for defined populations. In line with this, 67,281 patients (age range, 61.95 ± 13.88 years; length of follow up, 3.2 ± 3.4 years) diagnosed with DM were divided into two groups:48,072 subjects who had not used dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) medication and 19,209 subjects who had taken DPP-4 medication. Each patient underwent follow-up examination after the date of the latest diagnosis.

RESULTS: Among 10,884 DM patients with dementia, the combination therapy of metformin and DPP-4 inhibitor may increase the risk of dementia compared with that in the control group (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.15; p ≤ 0.001).

CONCLUSION: In this study, patients who received a combination therapy of metformin and DPP-4 inhibitor for DM were at a higher risk of dementia than those who received monotherapy.