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GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Use in T2D Tied to Increased Risk for GERD, GERD Complications

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on July 17, 2025.

via HealthDay

THURSDAY, July 17, 2025 -- For patients with type 2 diabetes, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are associated with an increased risk for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and its complications compared with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors, according to a study published online July 15 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Yunha Noh, Pharm.D., Ph.D., from Chonnam National University in South Korea, and colleagues conducted an active comparator new-user cohort study to estimate the effect of GLP-1 RAs versus SGLT-2 inhibitors on the risk for GERD and its complications among patients with type 2 diabetes. Adults initiating GLP-1 RAs or SGLT-2 inhibitors between Jan. 1, 2013, and Dec. 31, 2021, were followed until March 31, 2022; data were included for 24,708 new users of GLP-1 RAs and 89,096 new users of SGLT-2 inhibitors.

The researchers found that the risk ratios were 1.27 and 1.55 for GERD and its complications, respectively, during a median follow-up of 3.0 years among GLP-1 RA users versus SGLT-2 inhibitor users, with a risk difference of 0.7 per 100 patients and 0.8 per 1,000 patients, respectively.

"Although our findings need to be corroborated in other studies, clinicians and patients should be aware of a possible adverse effect of GLP-1 RAs on GERD," the authors write.

Two authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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