GLP1-RA linked to lower suicide risk among teens with obesity

In the treatment of obesity in adolescents, the incidence of suicidal ideation or attempts appears to be lower among those receiving a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP1-RA) than among those undergoing lifestyle intervention alone, according to a retrospective study.

Researchers used data from the TriNetX global federated network and identified adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age who had a diagnosis of obesity and evidence of an antiobesity GLP1-RA prescription or lifestyle intervention without GLP1-RA (control) within the following year. The two cohorts were balanced for baseline demographic characteristics, psychiatric medications and comorbidities, and diagnoses associated with socioeconomic status and healthcare access using propensity score matching.

The main outcome of incidence of suicidal ideation or attempts were ascertained using patient electronic health records during 12 months of follow-up. Diagnoses of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) were used as negative control outcomes, while gastrointestinal symptoms (GI) were used as positive control outcomes.

The GLP1-RA cohort included 4,052 adolescents, while the control cohort comprised 50,112 adolescents. After propensity score matching, 3,456 participants in each cohort were included in the final analysis.

Results showed that a GLP1-RA prescription was associated with a 33-percent lower risk of suicidal ideation or attempts over 12 months of follow-up (1.45 percent vs 2.26 percent; hazard ratio [HR], 0.67, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.47–0.95; p=0.02) and a 41-percent increased risk of GI symptoms (6.9 percent vs 5.4 percent; HR, 1.41, 95 percent CI, 1.12–1.78; p=0.003). The rate of URTI diagnoses did not significantly differ between the GLP1-RA and control cohorts.