title: Incretin-Based Therapy for Diabetes: What a Cardiologist Needs to Know.
abstract: Incretin-based therapies are effective glucose-lowering drugs that have an increasing role in the treatment of type 2 diabetes because of their efficacy, safety, and ease of use. Both glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors are commonly used for glycemic control as adjuncts to metformin, other oral antiglycemic agents, or insulin. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists may have additional effects, such as weight loss, that may be advantageous in obese patients. There is a large body of evidence from randomized controlled clinical trials supporting the cardiovascular safety of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors and some glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, at least in the short term. However, concerns have been raised, particularly regarding their safety in patients with heart failure. In this review, the authors provide a brief but practical evidence-based analysis of the use of incretin-based agents in patients with diabetes, their efficacy, and cardiovascular safety.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Greer
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Waldrop
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Jixin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland. Electronic address: srajagopalan@medicine.umaryland.edu.
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rajagopalan
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D054795:Incretins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D054795:Incretins
keywords: cardiovascular outcomes; dipeptidyl peptidase–4; glucagon-like peptide–1 receptor agonist