Author/Authors :
Wen, Li School of Preclinical Medicine - Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China , Zhong, Wang Department of Clinical Nutrition - Chengdu Fifth People’s Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China , Chai, Yihui School of Preclinical Medicine - Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China , Zhong, Qin School of Preclinical Medicine - Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China , Gao, Jie School of Preclinical Medicine - Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China , Guan, Liancheng Second Affiliated Hospital - Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China , mengzhi, Zhang School of Preclinical Medicine - Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China , Huaiquan, Liu School of Preclinical Medicine - Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China , Haiyang, Yu School of Preclinical Medicine - Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China , Qingxue, Wang School of Preclinical Medicine - Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China , Changfu, Yang School of Preclinical Medicine - Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China , Yunzhi, Chen School of Preclinical Medicine - Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
Abstract :
Background. Asthma and diabetes are both diseases that affect a wide range of people worldwide. As a common treatment for
diabetes, metformin has also been reported to be effective in improving asthma outcomes. We conducted a combined analysis to
examine the efficacy of metformin in reducing asthma exacerbation in patients with concurrent asthma and diabetes. Methods. We
searched the PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL databases for articles published prior to April 2020 to find observational studies of
individuals with concurrent asthma and diabetes that compared the risk of asthma exacerbation between metformin users and
nonusers. Two researchers separately screened the studies, extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias. +e primary outcome was
the adjusted risk of asthma exacerbation. +e secondary outcomes were the adjusted risk of asthma-related hospitalization and
emergency room visits. Review Manager was used for data analysis and plotting. I
2 and χ2 tests were used to estimate heterogeneity. A random effects or fixed effects model was used depending on the heterogeneity. Odds ratios were calculated for
dichotomous variables. Results. We included two studies with a total of 25252 patients. +e pooled effect size showed that
metformin was inversely associated with a risk of asthma exacerbation (OR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.28–1.48; χ2 = 5.42, P =0.02; I
2 = 82%),
asthma-related emergency department visits (OR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.74–0.89; χ2 = 0.36, P = 0.55; I
2 = 0%), and hospitalizations
(OR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.14–1.29; χ2 = 4.01, P = 0.05; I
2 = 75%). Conclusion. +is meta-analysis suggested that metformin decreased
the risk of asthma-related emergency room visits for patients with concurrent asthma and diabetes. Metformin reduced the risk of
asthma-related hospitalization and exacerbation but was not statistically significant. More randomized trials involving larger
samples should be considered, and the mechanisms of these effects need to be fully elucidated.
