Cardiovascular outcomes of metformin use in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Aim: To know whether metformin use has different influence on cardiovascular risks in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as compared with metformin no-use. Methods: This study employed a retrospective cohort study design. Using propensity score matching, we recruited 55 ,224 pairs of metformin users and nonusers from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between 1 January 2000, and 31 December 2017. Cox proportional-hazards models with robust standard error estimates were used to compare the risks of cardiovascular outcomes. Results: The mean study period of metformin users and nonusers was 11.04 (5.46) and 12.30 (4.85) years, respectively. Compared with the nonuse of metformin, the adjusted hazard ratios (95% CI) of metformin use for composited cardiovascular events, stroke, coronary artery disease, and heart failure were 0.51 (0.48-0.53), 0.62 (0.59-0.64), 0.48 (0.46-0.50), and 0.61 (0.57-0.65), respectively. The longer cumulative duration of metformin use had even lower adjusted hazard ratios compared with metformin nonuse. Conclusion: In patients with coexisting T2DM and COPD, metformin use was associated with significantly lower risks of CVD; moreover, longer duration of metformin use was associated with a lower risk of CVD. A well-designed prospective study is required to verify the results.

Automated summary

In patients with both type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the use of metformin is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and the longer the duration of metformin use, the lower the risk. Further prospective studies are needed to verify these findings.