Clinical Research Directory

Effect of GLP-1RA on Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy in Type 2 Diabetes

This study aims to investigate whether a class of diabetes medications called GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA), specifically semaglutide or polyethylene glycol loxenatide, can improve heart-related nerve damage in people with type 2 diabetes. This heart-related nerve damage is known as diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy (DCAN), which can cause problems such as fast resting heart rate, low blood pressure upon standing, and in severe cases, heart attack or sudden death. In this study, 60 adults with type 2 diabetes (ages 18-80) will be randomly divided into two groups. One group will receive standard diabetes care only, while the other group will receive standard care plus a once-weekly injection of either semaglutide or polyethylene glycol loxenatide for 6 months. Participants will undergo tests before and after the treatment period, including blood tests and non-invasive heart function tests (24-hour heart rate variability monitoring and cardiac autonomic reflex tests). The main goal is to see whether GLP-1RA treatment improves heart rate variability, a key sign of heart nerve function. The study also looks at changes in body weight, blood sugar control, and insulin resistance. This research may help determine whether GLP-1RA medications can protect against or improve diabetic heart nerve damage, beyond their known benefits for blood sugar control.

The Ameliorative Effects of GLP-1RA on Diabetic Cardiac Autonomatic Neuropathy

Diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy (DCAN) is a common chronic complication that reduces survival in patients with diabetes. Epidemiological surveys have shown that the prevalence of DCAN is 25-75% in people with type 2 diabetes. The onset of DCAN is insidious and easy to be ignored in the early stage. With the progression of the disease, the following clinical symptoms gradually appear, including reduced heart rate variability, exercise intolerance, resting tachycardia, orthostatic hypotension, painless myocardial infarction and even sudden death, which seriously endanger the life and health of type 2 diabetes patients. Existing literature has shown that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) can improve diabetic peripheral neuropathy and diabetic cognitive dysfunction, but there are few studies on improving diabetic autonomic neuropathy. Insulin resistance is an important risk factor for DCAN. Patients with type 2 diabetes are characterized by insulin resistance, and GLP-1RA is recognized as a drug to improve insulin resistance and control blood sugar in patients with diabetes. In this study, GLP-1RA was used to intervene patients with type 2 diabetes, and the changes in blood sugar control and insulin resistance status of patients were followed up. Special attention was paid to the improvement of autonomic neuropathy in diabetic patients.