GLP-1 RAs reduce BP in overweight, obese patients

The use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) significantly lowers blood pressure (BP) in obese or overweight patients, according to a study. This beneficial effect persists across diabetic status, duration of treatment, and route of administration.

In this meta-analysis, the authors systematically searched the databases of PubMed, Embase, and Central for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from inception to 13 February 2024. They performed a pair-wise meta-analysis and used random-effects meta-regression models. Treatment effects across various GLP-1 RA doses were pooled via fixed effects meta-analysis.

Thirty RCTs, including a total of 37,072 patients, met the eligibility criteria. GLP-1 RA use led to a mean systolic (S)BP reduction of –3.37 mm Hg (95 percent confidence interval [CI], –3.95 to –2.80) and a mean diastolic (D)BP reduction of –1.05 mm Hg (95 percent CI, –1.46 to –0.65) relative to placebo.

The BP decrease associated with GLP-1 RA persisted across subgroups for diabetic status, formulation of GLP-1 RA, follow-up duration, and route of administration for both SBP and DBP, except for subgroups examining exenatide.

In addition, meta-regression revealed no significant association between BP reduction and baseline characteristics, including age, weight, BMI, HbA1c, percentage of male patients, and percentage of patients with hypertension.

"GLP-1 RAs are novel medications with proven efficacy in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus and are increasingly being used for weight loss,” the authors said. “They may potentially have benefit in treating metabolic disorders.”