Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by persistent hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance, posing significant global health challenges. Dipeptidyl – peptidase IV/Cluster of Differentiation 26 (DPP IV/CD26) inhibitors have proven to be a valuable treatment option, providing effective glycaemic management with minimal side effects
The aim of this thesis is to perform a systematic review of clinical studies focused on the management of type 2 diabetes with DPP IV/CD26 inhibitors combined with metformin compared to conventional metformin monotherapy.
We performed a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines sourcing PubMed and Web of Science databases. We analysed the quality of selected studies published between 2014 and 2024 using the CASP checklists and compared them based on the year of publication, country of origin, number of participants, and the DPP IV/CD26 inhibitor used for the treatment. We also evaluated the efficacy of the combination therapy with metformin, compared to metformin alone based on the difference in HbA1c reduction.
We narrowed down the initial set of 689 studies to 4 appropriate ones that aligned with the research question and contained results relevant to the review topic. The combination therapy with DPP IV/CD26 and metformin has been shown to be more efficient than the conventional metformin therapy for type 2 diabetes patients. The addition of DPP IV/CD26 inhibitors to conventional metformin monotherapy positively impacted HbA1c levels and caused milder and less frequent adverse events compared to metformin monotherapy.
Results showed a greater reduction in HbA1c with DPP IV/CD26 and metformin combination therapy than with metformin monotherapy, with three studies reporting statistically significant differences. According to our results, the therapy with DPP IV/CD26 inhibitors in combination with metformin was proven to be more efficient and well-tolerated in comparation with metformin monotherapy.
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