Semaglutide Doubles Risk for Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Jan. 14, 2025 -- Use of once-weekly semaglutide more than doubles the risk for nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) in individuals with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online Dec. 18 in the International Journal of Retina and Vitreous.
Jakob Grauslund, D.M.Sci., Ph.D., M.D., from Odense University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues prospectively evaluated the use of semaglutide and risk for NAION in people with type 2 diabetes. The analysis included 424,152 individuals (2018 to 2024) exposed (106,454 individuals) or not exposed (317,698 individuals) to once-weekly semaglutide.
The researchers found that semaglutide exposure was significantly associated with a higher incidence rate (0.228 versus 0.093 per 1,000 person-years) and independently predicted a higher risk for upcoming NAION (hazard ratio, 2.19), even when accounting for multiple other factors. Of the 67 persons exposed to semaglutide who developed NAION, there was a median time from first prescription to event of 22.2 months (interquartile range, 10.2 to 37.8 months).
"During five years of observation of all persons with type 2 diabetes in Denmark, use of once-weekly semaglutide independently more than doubled the risk of NAION," the authors write. "Given the irreversible nature of NAION, it is important to acknowledge this risk, and upcoming studies should aim to identify high-risk subgroups."
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.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted January 2025
Read this next
New Subtype of Diabetes Identified in Sub-Saharan Africans, Black Americans
FRIDAY, Aug. 1, 2025 -- A new diabetes subtype has been identified in Sub-Saharan Africans and Black Americans, according to a study published online July 21 in The Lancet...
Three Healthy Dietary Patterns Lower Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes Across Ethnicities
THURSDAY, July 31, 2025 -- Three of the most widely studied healthy dietary patterns are associated with lower incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), regardless of an individual's...
Prediabetes Risk Doubled for Asian, Pacific Islander Teens With Overweight, Obesity
TUESDAY, July 29, 2025 -- Among adolescents with overweight or obesity, prediabetes is more than twice as common in Asian and Pacific Islander (Asian/PI) adolescents than in White...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.