An uptake of GLP-1 medications is coinciding with an increase in first-time diagnoses after 15 days of taking a GLP-1, according to findings from Truveta Research and Reuters.
The two organizations recently discovered a new trend. Patients with Type 2 diabetes are starting GLP-1 treatment with lower A1Cs and body mass indices compared to recent years. Based on this finding, researchers wondered, "Could evolved care-seeking behaviors be prompting an increase in first-time diagnoses or changing the way patients engage with the healthcare system?"
The researchers analyzed data from more than 700,000 patients who began using a GLP-1 between January 2018 and October 2024, either for diabetes, chronic weight management or cardiovascular disease. For two of the three approved indications, they observed significant increases in new diagnoses within 15 days.
First-time Type 2 diabetes diagnoses within 15 days of GLP-1 initiation increased by 31.6%, from 3.2% in 2020 to 4.2% in 2024. First-time obesity diagnoses increased between 22.8% and 41.8%, depending on class definitions, over those four years.
New cardiovascular disease diagnoses did not substantially increase, rising slightly from 1.3% in 2020 and 1.5% in 2024. Overweight diagnoses did not see an increase, but diagnoses for sleep apnea — which is not a currently approved indication for GLP-1s — increased 34%, from 0.8% in 2020 to 1.1% in 2024.
Based on these results, the researchers said healthcare workers may often be actively screening for these conditions following a GLP-1 prescription, or the trend could "reflect patients' increased engagement with healthcare services following" these prescriptions.
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