OORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A study reveals
taking hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) -- an anti-malarial drug -- may reduce the risk
of developing diabetes in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
HCQ has been a tried and true inexpensive treatment for autoimmune diseases,
like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), for years. Now, researchers from the University
of Pittsburg report the benefits of taking it are better than ever. It turns out
drugs like hydroxychloroquine may also boost glucose tolerance, helping to
prevent diabetes mellitus.
Although the reduced risk of diabetes has only been observed in RA patients, the
study's lead author Mary Chester M. Wasko, M.D., said the benefits might not be
limited to people with RA. "My hope is that further studies will indicate that
the same association with reduced diabetes risk with drug use and RA will also
pan out for non-rheumatic disease patients," Dr. Wasko told Ivanhoe.
Researchers studied 4,905 adults with rheumatoid arthritis. Some of the
participants had taken HCQ, some had not, and none were initially diagnosed with
diabetes. After an observation period, 54 patients who had taken the
anti-malarial drug were diagnosed with diabetes, compared to 171 patients who
had not taken the drug. This data revealed patients taking the drug had a
38-percent lower risk of developing diabetes. After 4 years of taking HCQ, study
authors report the risk of developing diabetes was 77-percent lower.
Data from the study was collected over a span of 21 years. Dr. Wasko attributes
the success of the study to the participants. "A study of this scope required a
huge commitment from thousands of patients … this study never could have been
done without their commitment to research," Dr. Wasko said.
Dr. Wasco added, "People with rheumatoid arthritis are known to be at increased
risk of cardiovascular disease, a condition which diabetes is also a known risk
factor. So, for that reason, reducing diabetes risk in RA, above and beyond the
obvious reasons, is an added benefit."
More research needs to be done before HCQ can be recommended as a diabetes
preventative for people who don't have RA.
SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Mary Chester M. Wasko, M.D.;The Journal of the
American Medical Association, 2007;298:187-193
