This drug for diabetes prescription in the world may be linked to major birth defects in the children of male patients who took it before the babies were conceived, according to a new study from Denmark published Monday.
The morphine drug metformin was associated with an increased risk
Metformin, one of the most common and often initially prescribed treatments for type 2 diabetes. It was associated with a 1.4-fold increased risk of birth defects in children whose parents took the medicine compared to those born to parents who were not taking it. This, according to researchers from the University of Southern Denmark and the Stanford University in the United States found.
In both groups, the mothers had no history of diabetes or hypertension.
The study authors, as well as independent experts, pointed out several key limitations of the data published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
The researchers did not know if the parents took the medication as prescribed or if they had poorer control of their diabetes. Which could also be related to an increased risk of birth defects. The study showed that the risk of babies born to men taking insulin instead of metformin was not increased.
It is usually prescribed when diet and physical activity are not enough
Channa Jayasena, head of andrology at Imperial College London, who was not involved in the work, called the results “thought-provoking but not conclusive”.
“Men with diabetes should not be discouraged from taking metformin, but it is worth looking at more closely,” he added.
Metformin, available as Generic drug. It is a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes, a growing epidemic worldwide.
It is usually prescribed when diet and physical activity are not enough to control symptoms. blood sugar levels and usually before more expensive brand-name diabetes medications. Works for improve the way the body handles insulin. Around 120 million people have been prescribed the drug worldwide.
In studying 1,116,779 births in Denmark between 1997 and 2016, researchers found that 5.2% of babies born to men who had been taking metformin had birth defects, particularly genital defects in boys. Among the rest of the population, the rate was 3.3%.
The researchers said more studies were needed
The infants were considered to be exposed to a diabetes medicine, including metformin or insulin. If the father had filled at least one prescription during the three months prior to conception, when the fertilizing sperm were developing.
The researchers said more studies were needed. But they suggested that men taking metformin consider switching to another treatment when trying to conceive.
“If patients want to switch to an alternative, they should contact their doctor,” Maarten Wensink, a professor of public health at the University of Southern Denmark and an author of the study, told Reuters, adding that the best treatment for type 2 diabetes it’s still the lifestyle. interventions such as dietary changes and weight loss.
“This could be an additional reason to give more priority to paternal health,” he added.
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