TOPLINE:
Individuals with overweight or obesity and knee or hip osteoarthritis (OA) who used antiobesity medications and achieved slow-to-moderate weight loss had a lower risk for all-cause mortality than those with weight gain or stable weight in a population-based cohort study emulating a randomized controlled trial. Patients who rapidly lost weight had mortality similar to those with weight gain or stable weight.
METHODOLOGY:
- The researchers used the IQVIA Medical Research Database to identify overweight or obese individuals with knee or hip OA; they conducted a hypothetical trial comparing the effects of slow-to-moderate weight loss (defined as 2%-10% of body weight) and rapid weight loss (defined as 5% or more of body weight) within 1 year of starting antiobesity medications.
- The final analysis included patients with a mean age of 60.9 years who met the criteria for treatment adherence to orlistat (n = 3028), sibutramine (n = 2919), or rimonabant (n = 797).
- The primary outcome was all-cause mortality over a 5-year follow-up period; secondary outcomes included hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and venous thromboembolism.
TAKEAWAY:
- All-cause mortality at 5 years was 5.3% with weight gain or stable weight, 4.0% with slow to moderate weight loss, and 5.4% with rapid weight loss.
- Hazard ratios for all-cause mortality were 0.72 (95% CI, 0.56-0.92) for slow to moderate weight loss and 0.99 (95% CI, 0.67-1.44) for the rapid weight loss group.
- Weight loss was associated with the secondary outcomes of reduced hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and venous thromboembolism in a dose-dependent manner.
- A slightly increased risk for cardiovascular disease occurred in the rapid weight loss group, compared with the weight gain or stable group, but this difference was not significant.
IN PRACTICE:
"Our finding that gradual weight loss by antiobesity medications lowers all-cause mortality, if confirmed by future studies, could guide policy-making and improve the well-being of patients with overweight or obesity and knee or hip OA," the researchers wrote.
SOURCE:
The lead author on the study was Jie Wei, MD, of Central South University, Changsha, China. The study was published online on December 6 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.
LIMITATIONS:
Study limitations included the inability to control for factors such as exercise, diet, and disease severity; the inability to assess the risk for cause-specific mortality; and the inability to account for the impact of pain reduction and improved function as a result of weight loss.
DISCLOSURES:
The study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Plan, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Project Program of National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, the Central South University Innovation-Driven Research Programme, and the Science and Technology Innovation Program of Hunan Province. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
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