Association between first-line monotherapy with metformin and the risk of atrial fibrillation (AMRAF) in patients with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has a strong association with atrial fibrillation (AF) which increases risk of thromboembolic events, heart failure, and frequent hospitalizations. Metformin is the first-line medication for T2D with proposed anti-inflammatory, pro-metabolic, and cardio-protective benefits. Our objective was to investigate if initial therapy with metformin is associated with reduced incidence of AF in comparison to other non-insulin anti-hyperglycemic agents in patients with newly diagnosed T2D.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort analysis included adults with a new diagnosis of T2D who were started on monotherapy (except insulin) between 2007 and 2017, without prior anti-hyperglycemic agent use, history of arrhythmias, or estimated GFR (eGFR) ≤ 30 ml/min. A multivariate analysis was performed using a fine-gray regression competing risk analysis to control for confounding variables after which pooled hazard ratios and 95 % confidence intervals were reported. Patients were followed until the end of study date, development of AF, addition of more anti-hyperglycemic agents, or death, whichever occurred first.

RESULTS

Among 4584 metformin initiators compared to 1080 non-metformin monotherapy initiators, 10-year cumulative incidence of AF in metformin group was 5.2 % as compared to 8.1 % with other agents which was not statistically significant. Competing risk analysis did not demonstrate reduced rates of AF with metformin use (HR 0.92, 95 % CI 0.69 to 1.21; P = 0.55). Increased age and the presence of congestive heart failure were associated with significantly higher risk of AF in both groups (HR: 1.29, 95 % CI: 1.21 to 1.37; P ≤ 0.001; HR: 2.73, 95 % CI: 1.62 to 4.61; P ≤ 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Initiation of metformin as a first line monotherapy for T2D, when compared to other non-insulin monotherapies, was not associated with decreased risk of developing AF in this retrospective observational study.