DPP4 Inhibitors in the Management of Hospitalized Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

Introduction We studied the effects of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors on glycemic control in non-critically ill patients admitted to hospital. Methods We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE for published studies in English up to July 2019. We included randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that compared DPP4 inhibitors plus insulin supplementation versus basal-bolus insulin regimen in the management of hyperglycemia non-critically ill patients with type 2 diabetes admitted to hospital. Mean difference (MD), relative risk (RR), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were generated to interpret the data. Results Of 401 papers, four RCTs including 648 participants met inclusion criteria. There was no significant difference in mean daily blood glucose level between the two groups (MD 4.63; 95% CI = − 1.57, 10.83; p = 0.14) ( I 2 = 14%, p = 0.32). Total insulin dose per day was lower in patients receiving DPP4 inhibitors (MD − 14.27; CI = − 22.47, − 6.07; p = 0.001) ( I 2 = 92%, p = 0.001). Also, the number of insulin injection was significantly lower in patients receiving DPP4 inhibitors (MD − 0.79; CI = − 1.01, − 0.57; p = 0.001) ( I 2 = 0%, p = 0.68). The rate of hypoglycemia was not significantly different between the two groups (RR 0.60, CI = 0.34, 1.074; p = 0.08) ( I 2 = 37.3%, p = 0.18). Treatment failure was not significantly different between the two groups (RR 0.87, CI = 0.64, 4.8; p = 0.38) ( I 2 = 49%, p = 0.11). Conclusion The results indicate that using DPP4 inhibitors plus basal or supplemental insulin in hospitalized patients is non-inferior to a standard basal-bolus insulin regimen and leads to a lower amount of insulin use and a lower rate of insulin injection. Limitations of this study were heterogeneity of baseline characteristics of included patients, small sample size, short duration, and non-uniformly defined outcome assessment parameters in the included studies.