Prevalence and Predictors of Adverse Events Associated With Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 (DPP-4) Inhibitors in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors are oral hypoglycemic agents widely prescribed in India despite safety concerns. However, studies focused on their safety profile are scarce, especially in South India. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and predictors of adverse events (AEs) with DPP-4 inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Research design and methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed data from medical records of T2DM patients prescribed DPP-4 inhibitors admitted to the medicine department from 2019 to 2021 at a South Indian tertiary care hospital. The causality of AEs was assessed using the WHO-Uppsala Monitoring Centre (WHO-UMC) criteria and the Naranjo scale, and severity using the Modified Hartwig and Seigel scale. We applied a Generalized model with a binary response and logit-link function to understand the factors that best explain the AE. The best-fit models were chosen based on least Akaike’s information criterion and highest PseudoR² and presented the odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval. The analyses were performed in R software version 4.2.1. Results: Among the 796 patients included in the study, 26% experienced AEs. A total of 212 AEs were observed, and Saxagliptin-associated AEs were the most prevalent (66.6%). Hepatic AEs were predominant (37.7%), followed by gastrointestinal events (16.5%) and electrolyte imbalances (12.3%). Most AEs were possible based on WHO-UMC criteria (78.7%) and the Naranjo scale (86.7%), with 58% being of moderate severity and 42% mild. In the multivariate analysis, aspartate transaminase [OR: 1.013 (0.006–1.020)], alkaline phosphatase [OR: 1.004 (1.001–1.007)] and patients already on DPP-4 inhibitors [OR 1.191(1.012–1.366)] were significant predictors for AEs with DPP-4 inhibitors. Conclusion: The study highlighted a high prevalence of AEs with DPP-4 inhibitors and identified significant predictors of these AEs. These findings underscore the necessity of vigilant monitoring and risk assessment while prescribing DPP-4 inhibitors to the Indian population.