Background: Evidence on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD risk factors in people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH) is limited. We aimed to identify the risk of composite CVD, individual CVD events, and common risk factors. Methods: This was a nationwide, population-based, cohort study comparing adult (≥18 years old) PWH with people without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) matched on age, sex, ethnicity, and location. The primary outcome was composite CVD comprising stroke, myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease, ischemic heart disease, and heart failure. The secondary outcomes were individual CVD events, hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and all-cause mortality. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to examine the risk of each outcome. Results: We identified 9233 PWH and matched them with 35 721 HIV-negative individuals. An increased risk was found for composite CVD (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28–1.77), stroke (aHR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.08–1.86), ischemic heart disease (aHR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.24–1.94), hypertension (aHR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.23–1.53), type 2 diabetes (aHR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.09–1.50), CKD (aHR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.98–2.94), and all-cause mortality (aHR, 2.84; 95% CI, 2.48–3.25). Conclusions: PWH have a heightened risk for CVD and common CVD risk factors, reinforcing the importance for regular screening for such conditions.

Objective: Diabetes has emerged as an important risk factor for mortality from COVID-19. Metformin, the most commonly prescribed glucose-lowering agent, has been proposed to influence susceptibility to and outcomes of COVID-19 via multiple mechanisms. We investigated whether, in patients with diabetes, metformin is associated with susceptibility to COVID-19 and its outcomes. Research Design and Methods: We performed a propensity score–matched cohort study with active comparators using a large UK primary care dataset. Adults with type 2 diabetes patients and a current prescription for metformin and other glucose-lowering agents (MF+) were compared to those with a current prescription for glucose-lowering agents that did not include metformin (MF−). Outcomes were confirmed COVID-19, suspected/confirmed COVID-19, and associated mortality. A negative control outcome analysis (back pain) was also performed. Results: There were 29 558 and 10 271 patients in the MF+ and MF− groups, respectively, who met the inclusion criteria. In the propensity score–matched analysis, the adjusted hazard ratios for suspected/confirmed COVID-19, confirmed COVID-19, and COVID-19-related mortality were 0.85 (95% CI 0.67, 1.08), 0.80 (95% CI 0.49, 1.30), and 0.87 (95% CI 0.34, 2.20) respectively. The negative outcome control analysis did not suggest unobserved confounding. Conclusion: Current prescription of metformin was not associated with the risk of COVID-19 or COVID-19-related mortality. It is safe to continue prescribing metformin to improve glycemic control in patients with.

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most frequent complication of type 2 diabetes and remains the leading cause of preventable blindness. Current clinical decisions regarding the administration of antidiabetic drugs do not sufficiently incorporate the risk of DR due to the inconclusive evidence from preceding meta-analyses. This umbrella review aimed to systematically evaluate the effects of antidiabetic drugs on DR in people with type 2 diabetes.Methods: A systematic literature search was undertaken in Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library (from inception till 17th May 2022) without language restrictions to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials or longitudinal studies that examined the association between antidiabetic drugs and DR in people with type 2 diabetes. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed the quality of included studies using the AMSTAR-2 (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews) checklist, and evidence assessment was performed using the GRADE (Grading of recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation). Random-effects models were applied to calculate relative risk (RR) or odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022332052).Results: With trial evidence from 11 systematic reviews and meta-analyses, we found that the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA), sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i), or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) was not statistically associated with the risk of DR, compared to either placebo (RR: GLP-1 RA, 0.98, 0.89-1.08; SGLT-2i, 1.00, 95% CI 0.79-1.27; DPP-4i, 1.17, 0.99-1.39) or other antidiabetic drugs. Compared to other antidiabetic drugs, meglitinides (0.34, 0.01-8.25), SGLT-2i (0.73, 0.10-5.16), thiazolidinediones (0.92, 0.67-1.26), metformin (1.15, 0.81-1.63), sulphonylureas (1.24, 0.93-1.65), and acarbose (4.21, 0.44-40.43) were not statistically associated with the risk of DR. With evidence from longitudinal studies only, insulin was found to have a higher risk of DR than other antidiabetic drugs (OR: 2.47, 95% CI: 2.04-2.99).Conclusion: Our results indicate that antidiabetic drugs are generally safe to prescribe regarding the risk of DR among people with type 2 diabetes. Further robust and large-scale trials investigating the effects of insulin, meglitinides, and acarbose on DR are warranted.Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=332052, identifier CRD42022332052.

Background: Pregnancy complications might lead to the development of autoimmune diseases in women. This review aims to summarise studies evaluating the association between pregnancy complications and the development of autoimmune diseases in women. Methods: Medline, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases were searched up to January 2024. Nineteen pregnancy complications and 15 autoimmune conditions were included. Title, abstract, full-text screening, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed by two reviewers independently. Data were synthesised using narrative and quantitative methods. Results were presented using odds ratios (OR), relative risks (RR), incidence rate ratios (IRR), and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Thirty studies were included. One study reported composite exposure to pregnancy complications had a risk of any autoimmune disease RR 3.20 (2.90–3.51) compared to women without pregnancy complications. Women with hyperemesis gravidarum had a higher risk of developing coeliac disease (n = 1) IRR 1.98 (1.27–2.94), Crohn’s disease (n = 1) IRR 1.61 (1.25–2.04), psoriasis (n = 1) IRR 1.33 (1.01–1.71), and rheumatoid arthritis (n = 2) IRR 1.35 (1.09–1.64). Miscarriage associated with subsequent diagnosis of Sjogren syndrome (n = 2) IRR 1.33 (1.06–2.81) and rheumatoid arthritis (n = 4) OR 1.11 (1.04–1.20). Gestational hypertension/preeclampsia was linked with the development of systemic sclerosis (n = 2) IRR 2.60 (1.10–4.60) and T1DM (n = 2) IRR 2.37 (2.09–2.68). Stillbirth associated with composite autoimmune conditions (n = 2) RR 5.82 (95% CI 4.87–6.81) and aIRR 1.25 (1.12–1.40). Postpartum psychosis was associated with autoimmune thyroid disease (n = 1) aIRR2.26 (1.61–2.90). Conclusions: Women with pregnancy complications subsequently had a higher risk of being diagnosed with autoimmune conditions. Whether this is due to pre-existing undiagnosed health conditions or being causally linked to pregnancy complications is not known.