Endocrinology & Metabolic Syndrome
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-1017
ISSN: 2161-1017
Shraboni Ghosal
Keele University, UK
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Endocrinol Metab Syndr
Orlistat is recommended as an adjunct to diet and exercise for weight loss in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or prediabetes. However, the extent of its use and association with weight loss in T2DM and prediabetes in real world settings were lacking. We explored associations between patient characteristics and orlistat prescribing and determined associations of orlistat with weight loss in people with T2DM and prediabetes. This cohort study used anonymised records of people with T2DM and prediabetes (2016-2017) ≥18 years, from the United Kingdom (UK) Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) database. We used multivariable logistic regression models to determine associations with starting orlistat and stopping it early (<12 weeks of prescriptions) and orlistat’s associations with weight loss in those not prescribed second line anti-diabetic medications. Out of 100,552 people with incident T2DM or prediabetes, 655 (0.8%) T2DM and 128 (0.7%) people with prediabetes were prescribed orlistat. We found that younger people, females, those in more deprived regions, current smokers, those coprescribed metformin and recorded with hypertension were significantly more likely to be prescribed orlistat while higher baseline HbA1c levels were associated with early stopping. Those who continued orlistat for more than 12 weeks were more likely to lose ≥5% weight (adjusted OR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.07, 2.67) than those not on orlistat, but those who stopped orlistat early were less likely to lose ≥5% weight (adjusted OR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.29, 1.09). Orlistat was significantly associated with weight loss in T2DM and prediabetes when taken for at least 12 weeks. However, orlistat is infrequently prescribed and often taken for less than 12 weeks. Orlistat may be a useful adjunct to lifestyle modifications in T2DM or prediabetes however there seemed barriers to continuing orlistat, which means it may not be effective for everyone in managing weight loss.
Dr Shraboni Ghosal has a PhD (Medicine) from the School of Medicine, Keele University, UK. She is currently doing Postdoctoral research in the School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, UK. Shraboni's research interest includes Weight loss and Weight management in Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, and other Obesity-related disorders. She has a background in Epidemiology, Data Science, Primary care electronic health records (EHRs), mixed methods research, systematic reviews and evidence synthesis. She has published papers in reputed journals.