Evidence map›Paper›PMID 21762204›Full record

ArticleBritish journal of clinical pharmacology2012

Unlicensed use of metformin in children and adolescents in the UK.

Yingfen Hsia, Dalia Dawoud, Alastair G Sutcliffe, Russell M Viner, Sanjay Kinra, Ian C K Wong

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in British journal of clinical pharmacology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Drug interventions for the treatment of obesity in children and adolescents.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016
    Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Trial
  4. Observational
  5. Article
  6. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Adolescents: Challenges in Diagnosis and Treatment.International journal of endocrinology and metabolism · 2019
    Review
  7. Widding the Use of Insulin Sensitizers to Patients with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome-A Late, but Wise Decision.Revista brasileira de ginecologia e obstetricia : revista da Federacao Brasileira das Sociedades de Ginecologia e Obstetricia · 2019
    Article
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Observational
  12. Article
  13. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Yingfen HsiaCentre for Paediatric Pharmacy Research, The School of Pharmacy, University of London, London, UK. yingfen.hsia@pharmacy.ac.uk
Dalia Dawoud
Alastair G Sutcliffe
Russell M Viner
Sanjay Kinra
Ian C K Wong

Funding

Department of Health RP-PG-0608-10035
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimMetformin is the most commonly prescribed oral anti-diabetic drug in young people. It is also prescribed for polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and obesity treatment in adults in an unlicensed fashion. Little is known as to the extent metformin has been used in young people. We investigated the use of metformin in children and adolescents aged 0-18 years in the UK.

methodsPopulation-based prescribing data were obtained from the UK IMS Disease Analyzer between January 2000 and December 2010.

resultsA total of 2674 metformin prescriptions were issued to 337 patients (80% female) between 2000 and 2010. The prevalence of metformin prescribing increased from 0.03 per 1000 person-years [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.02, 0.05] to 0.16 per 1000 person-years (95% CI 0.12, 0.20) (P= 0.001). There was a steady increase in metformin prescribing in girls aged 16-18 years. There were 290 metformin treated patients (81% female; n= 235) who had at least one diagnosis of diabetes, PCOS or obesity. Among these patients, PCOS was the most common indication for metformin prescribing in girls (n= 120) followed by diabetes. There were 22 patients (7.6%) who received metformin for obesity treatment only.

conclusionsPrescribing of metformin increased between 2000 and 2010, in particular amongst girls aged 16-18 years. The main indication for metformin prescribing was PCOS. At present, metformin is not licensed for PCOS and obesity treatment in adults or children. As there is a steady increase in the prescribing of metformin in young people, further studies are required to investigate the efficacy and safety of these prescriptions.

Indexed as

AdolescentChildChild, PreschoolCohort StudiesDiabetes MellitusDrug PrescriptionsDrug UtilizationFemaleHumansHypoglycemic AgentsInfantLegislation, DrugMaleMetforminObesityOff-Label UseHypoglycemic AgentsMetformin

Identifiers

PMID21762204
PMCPMC3248263

What OpenQuestion holds

Texttitle and abstract
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.