GLP-1 drugs did not lower new sleep apnoea diagnoses in UK diabetes records

In UK primary-care records covering 206,000 adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity, starting a GLP-1 receptor agonist rather than a weight-neutral DPP-4 inhibitor was not associated with fewer new diagnoses of obstructive sleep apnoea (HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.93-1.23).

The study used UK CPRD primary-care data (2007-2023) to compare 47,315 new users of GLP-1 receptor agonists with 159,066 new users of DPP-4 inhibitors, all with type 2 diabetes, BMI at least 30 and no prior sleep apnoea, weighting on propensity scores within BMI strata. Incidence of a clinical obstructive sleep apnoea diagnosis was 5.8 per 1,000 person-years on GLP-1 RAs and 5.4 on DPP-4 inhibitors, hazard ratio 1.07 (0.93-1.23). Results held across BMI strata, sex, drug type and sensitivity analyses.

Why it is interesting: Trials showing GLP-1 drugs reduce apnoea severity do not translate, in routine care, into fewer new apnoea diagnoses over three years.

Source: American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, 2026-09-15
DOI: 10.1093/ajrccm/aamag474
Type: Peer-reviewed article
Design: Active-comparator, new-user cohort study in UK CPRD, 2007-2023; 47,315 GLP-1 RA vs 159,066 DPP-4 inhibitor initiators with type 2 diabetes and BMI =30, up to 3 years' follow-up
Verdict: Refines prior evidence
Driver: Obesity, diabetes and the GLP-1 drugs

Greenspace tracks lower pollution-related respiratory mortality, mainly via mediation

A systematic review of 14 good-quality cohort studies, mostly European, found residential greenspace associated with lower air-pollution-related respiratory mortality and better lung function, with the association appearing more consistently in mediation than in moderation analyses.

Healthcare today Environment: air, heat, cold World

Item refines peer-reviewed 17 Sep 2026

Diabetes was commoner in older US flu inpatient deaths than in COVID deaths

Among US inpatient decedents aged over 65, 46.6% of those dying of COVID-19 had diabetes compared with 63.1% of influenza decedents after age standardisation, indicating the widely cited diabetes share of COVID deaths was not distinctive to that virus.

Healthcare today Obesity, diabetes and the GLP-1 drugs Infectious disease and pandemics United States

Item refines peer-reviewed 17 Sep 2026

GLP-1 pancreatic cancer hazard shifts with the comparator diabetes drug

In a TriNetX cohort of adults with type 2 diabetes, GLP-1 receptor agonist initiators had a lower hazard of pancreatic cancer than insulin users (HR 0.43), higher hazards than metformin, sulfonylurea, thiazolidinedione and DPP-4 users, and no difference against SGLT2 inhibitors.

Healthcare today Cancer Obesity, diabetes and the GLP-1 drugs United States

Item confirms peer-reviewed 17 Sep 2026

Lowering colorectal screening to 45 still misses much early-onset cancer, review finds

A systematic review of 45 studies found that colorectal neoplasia detection rates rise steeply with age across the under-50s, so screening from 45 captures the most yield, yet a considerable share of early-onset cases arise before 45 and fall outside eligibility.

Healthcare today Cancer World

Cite this item