Background: The difference of cardiovascular effects between rosiglitazone and pioglitazone treatment for diabetic patients has not been thoroughly studied. We performed a meta-analysis to compare the risk of cardiovascular adverse effects in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with rosiglitazone compared to pioglitazone.
Methods: The Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Embase were searched to identify retrospective cohort studies assessing cardiovascular outcomes with rosiglitazone and pioglitazone. Meta-analysis of retrospective cohort studies was conducted using RevMan 5.0 software to calculate risk ratios.
Results: Of the 74 references identified, eight studies involving 945 286 patients fit the inclusion criteria for the analysis. The results of meta-analyses showed that, compared with pioglitazone, rosiglitazone therapy significantly increased the risk of myocardial infarction (risk ratios (RR) 1.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04 - 1.32; P = 0.01), the risk of heart failure (RR 1.18, 95%CI 1.02 - 1.36; P = 0.03), and total mortality (RR 1.13, 95%CI 1.08 - 1.20; P < 0.000 01).
Conclusion: Compared with pioglitazone, rosiglitazone was associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction, heart failure, and all-cause mortality in diabetic patients.