A retrospective study published in the journal Heliyon has revealed that using anti-hyperglycemic medications can lower peoples chance of acquiring Multiple Sclerosis (MS) if type 2 diabetes (T2D) is diagnosed and treated before the age of 45.

Over 1.5 million individuals from the studys cohort of more than 5 million T2D patients were included in the final analysis. Participants, who had received anti-hyperglycemic drugs to treat their type 2 diabetes such as insulin, metformin, sulphonylureas, glitazones, and DPP4 inhibitors, were then compared with those who had not.

The study revealed that T2D patients who used anti-hyperglycemic drugs had a 22% lower chance of getting MS over an average follow-up of 6.2 years in patients under 45 when they first started using them. While those who began therapy after the age of 45 had a 16% higher risk of contracting MS.

Researchers also found that females were more at risk of developing MS after using anti-hyperglycemic medications than males. According to the researchers, this difference might be due to menopause, which typically affects women in their late 40s and early 50s but can begin earlier. After menopause, the loss of estrogenic insulin regulation causes T2D control to deteriorate in females. This could result in considerable inflammation, which might further increase MS symptoms.

(Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/can-diabetes-drugs-like-insulin-metformin-affect-ms-risk)