Objective: This study aims to assess the potential association between specific antidiabetic drug use and the risk of PD in Japan’s super-aging society.
Background: Emerging evidence suggests that some antidiabetic drugs such as dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RA) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are associated with a reduced risk of developing Parkinson disease (PD). However, data in Asian population and the very elder population are lacking.
Method: We used data from the Longevity Improvement and Fair Evidence (LIFE) Study, which included medical claims from April 2014 to March 2022 in 17 municipalities in Japan. Diabetic patients aged ≥65 years without PD were included and followed for the development of PD. Patients prescribed DPP4i, GLP1-RA and/or SGLT2i were compared to patients prescribed other drugs (control). Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using Cox proportional hazard models. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis was also applied.
Results: Among 68,641 patients (mean age 79), 1140 PD cases were identified during an average follow-up period of 3.2 years. The DPP4i, GLP1-RA, SGLT2i and control groups included 50,664, 2,944, 14,451 and 13,509 patients, respectively. Compared to controls, adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for PD were 0.75 (0.59, 0.96) for DPP4i, 0.55 (0.22, 1.37) for GLP1-RA, and 0.54 (0.37, 0.78) for SGLT2i. IPTW analysis showed that HRs (95% CIs) were 0.70 (0.61, 0.81) for DPP4i, 0.52 (0.37, 0.72) for GLP1-RA, and 0.36 (0.29, 0.45) for SGLT2. Subgroup analysis suggested that cumulative use of drugs and younger age (age 65-79) may be associated with a reduced risk of PD. No differences by gender was observed.
Conclusion: Compared to other classes of anti-diabetic drugs, DPP4i, GLP1-RA and SGLT2i may be associated with a reduced risk of PD among elder patients with diabetes mellitus in Japan.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Y. Kimura, S. Ge, T. Kitamura, L. Zha, Y. Shimomura, M. Komatsu, Y. Gon, S. Komukai, M. Maeda, K. Kiyohara, H. Mochizuki, H. Fukuda. Anti-diabetic Drug Use and the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease among Older Adults in Japan: the LIFE Study [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2025; 40 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/anti-diabetic-drug-use-and-the-risk-of-parkinsons-disease-among-older-adults-in-japan-the-life-study/. Accessed October 5, 2025.« Back to 2025 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/anti-diabetic-drug-use-and-the-risk-of-parkinsons-disease-among-older-adults-in-japan-the-life-study/