Liraglutide reduces systolic blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis of randomized trials

The antidiabetic effect of liraglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus has been explored in several trials. We performed this meta-analysis determining the effects of liraglutide on blood pressure in these patients. Three electronic databases (Pubmed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central) were searched for all published articles evaluating the effects of liraglutide on blood pressure in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Total 968 patients were included in 10 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials with a follow-up of 16 ? 9 weeks. Liraglutide 1.8 mg/day reduced systolic blood pressure (weighted mean differences ?5.39 (95% confidence interval, ?7.26, ?3.51) mm Hg, p < .001) and body weight (weighted mean differences ?2.07 (95% confidence interval, ?2.62, ?1.51) kg, p < .001) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. There was no significant difference for changes of diastolic blood pressure between liraglutide 1.8 mg/day and placebo in these patients (weighted mean differences ?0.53 (95% confidence interval, ?1.96, 0.89) mm Hg, p > .05). The increases of heart rate were greater than placebo in patients treated with liraglutide 1.8 mg/day (weighted mean differences 6.03 (95% confidence interval, 4.78, 7.29) kg, p < .001). There was no significant correlation between reduction of systolic blood pressure and weight loss in patients treated with liraglutide 1.8 mg/day (p = .24). In conclusion, liraglutide reduces systolic blood pressure and body weight in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. These data suggest the beneficial effects of liraglutide on cardiovascular protection and may improve prognosis in these patients.