Abstract
We have been interested in the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) among patients with gastrointestinal disorders treated with incretin-related drugs. In order to investigate the association between the use of incretin-related drugs and the occurrence of GERD-like symptoms, we conducted a prospective case-control trial. Patients with type 2 diabetes who were naive to incretin-related drugs and had no GERD-like symptoms were administered either GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP1RA group, n=32) or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4I group, n=33). The presence of GERD-like symptoms was diagnosed using a questionnaire including a frequency scale for the symptoms of GERD (FSSG). The primary outcome was the incidence of GERD-like symptoms within three months after the administration of the above drugs. The GLP1RA group exhibited a significantly increased incidence of GERD-like symptoms in comparison with that observed in the DPP4I group. This result may reflect the pharmacologically distinct effects of each incretin-related drug on the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal disorders. Physicians should consider such effects when administering these drugs in patients with GERD-like symptoms.
