We aimed to test the hypothesis that addition of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) to insulin in C-peptide-positive patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) will result in a reduction in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) with reduced insulin requirements and a rise in C-peptide concentrations. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 11 normal-weight patients with T1D consecutively treated with a GLP-1RA in addition to insulin. Paired t tests were used to compare the changes in HbA1c, insulin doses, body weight, body mass index, and C-peptide concentrations prior to and 12 ± 1 weeks after GLP-1RA therapy. At the end of 12 ± 1 weeks of GLP-1RA therapy, HbA1c fell from 10.74 ± 0.96% (95 ± 10.5 mmol/mol) to 7.4 ± 0.58% (58 ± 6.3mmol/mol) (P < 0.01), body weight fell from 71 ± 2.0 to 69 ± 2 kg (P = 0.06), and total insulin dose was reduced by 64% from 33 ± 6 to 11 ± 5 units (P < 0.01). Five out of 10 patients did not require any insulin. C-peptide concentrations increased significantly from 0.43 ± 0.09 ng/ml (0.14 ± 0.02 nmol/L) to 1.42 ± 0.42ng/ml (0.47 ± 0.13 nmol/L) (P = 0.01). Addition of GLP-1RA therapy to insulin in normal-weight patients with T1D led to a reduction in HbA1c with reduced insulin requirements, a 3.5-fold increase in C-peptide concentrations and freedom from insulin therapy in 50% of patients who tolerated the GLP-1RA therapy over a period of 12 ± 1 weeks.
Keywords: C-peptide; GLP-1RA; type 1 diabetes.
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.