Researchers have found that a treatment commonly used for type 2 diabetes and obesity can reduce sleep apnea by 60%.
- Tirzepatide, a drug already used for people with type 2 diabetes and obesity, reduces sleep apnea by 60%.
- The researchers observed a decrease of 20 interruptions or decreases in breathing per hour.
- Before being administered to patients suffering from OSAHS, further clinical trials of tirzepatide must be conducted.
30% of people over 65 are affected by sleep apnea syndrome, according to National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). Patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) have repeated and uncontrolled interruptions in breathing during the night which result in micro-awakenings. This disrupts their sleep and has consequences on their daily life.
To treat OSAHS, the standard treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). In concrete terms, patients must wear a mask, linked to a machine, which administers air to them during the night. This treatment, which is difficult on a daily basis, “leads one in two people to stop using CPAP after 3 years”, according to Inserm. “We know that people don’t use the device much or at all, or they take it off in the middle of the night and leave their severe sleep apnea untreated most of the time,” says Ronald Grunstein, a researcher at the University of California in San Diego (United States).
Type 2 diabetes, obesity: tirzepatide mimics the effect of the hormone GLP-1
Recently, the scientist and his team discovered a drug that could revolutionize the treatment of OSAHS: tirzepatide, already used for people with type 2 diabetes and obesity. This mimics the effect of the hormone GLP-1, which removes glucose after eating. The study was published in the journal New England Journal of Medicine.
In their work, the researchers gave 469 patients tirzepatide by injection for about a year. Some participants did not receive treatment while others were receiving treatment before the clinical trial. To check the effectiveness of the treatment, the main criterion was the change in the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), that is, the number of interruptions or decreases in breathing during an hour of sleep.
A 60% reduction in sleep apnea thanks to tirzepatide
After treatment, scientists observed aa decrease in AHI, of the order of 20 fewer interruptions or decreases in breathing per hour out of the 50 initially observed. This figure is 24 in patients who have already used the PPC ventilation. On average, sleep apnea was reduced by 60%.
This effect would be mainly due to weight loss, the authors indicate. Indeed, when the SAHOS is diagnosed, doctors recommend patients to follow hygiene and dietary measures, including weight loss. According to Inserm, a “Reducing initial weight by 10 to 15% significantly reduces the severity of sleep apnea”.
“I think this is an important step forward.develops Ronald Grunstein. It is the first drug to show such a degree of efficacy in the management of sleep apnea, with in addition a reduction in blood pressure, lipids, blood sugar control, etc.” Before it is prescribed to patients suffering from SAHOS, the tirzepatide will still have to prove its efficacy in new clinical trials.
