Metformin and the Risk of Chronic Urticaria in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Sep 3;19(17):11045. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191711045.

Abstract

We conducted this study to determine the effect of metformin use on the risk of new-onset chronic urticaria in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). In total, 24,987 pairs of metformin users and nonusers were identified with propensity score-matching from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database from 1 January 2000, to 31 December 2017. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare the risks of chronic urticaria development, severe chronic urticaria, and hospitalization for chronic urticaria between metformin users and nonusers. Compared with metformin nonuse, the aHRs (95% CI) for metformin use in chronic urticaria development, severe chronic urticaria, and hospitalization for chronic urticaria were 1.56 (1.39-1.74), 0.40 (0.12-1.30), and 1.45 (0.82-2.56), respectively. The cumulative incidence of chronic urticaria development was significantly higher in metformin users than in nonusers (p < 0.0001). A longer average cumulative duration of metformin use was associated with higher risks of new-onset and hospitalization for chronic urticaria than metformin nonuse. This nationwide cohort study showed that metformin use was associated with a significantly higher risk of chronic urticaria development. A longer average cumulative duration of metformin use was associated with a higher risk of outcomes. More prospective studies are needed to verify our results.

Keywords: chronic urticaria; development; hospitalization; metformin; type 2 diabetes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Chronic Urticaria*
  • Cohort Studies
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / complications
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / drug therapy
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Hypoglycemic Agents / adverse effects
  • Incidence
  • Metformin* / adverse effects
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Taiwan / epidemiology

Substances

  • Hypoglycemic Agents
  • Metformin

Grants and funding

This study was supported in part by Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare Clinical Trial Center (MOHW110-TDU-B-212-124004), and China Medical University Hospital (DMR-111-105). We are grateful to Health Data Science Center, China Medical University Hospital for providing administrative, technical and funding support. This work also received grants from the Taipei Veterans General Hospital (V101C-156, V108C-172, V109C-189) and the Ministry of Science and Technology, R.O.C (MOST 110-2314-B-075-027-MY3). These funding agencies had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, decision to publish, or manuscript preparation. No organization provided funds to assist with the preparation of this paper, and data analysis was not performed by employees of funders or any author who received funding. The funders did not offer writing support. The corresponding authors had complete access to all data in the study and the final responsibility of the decision to publish.