ArticleDiabetes research and clinical practice2020
Long-term metformin treatment and risk of peripheral neuropathy in older Veterans.
Article in Diabetes research and clinical practice, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence of Distal Symmetrical Polyneuropathy by Diabetes Prevention Program Treatment Group, Diabetes Status, Duration of Diabetes, and Cumulative Glycemic Exposure.Diabetes care · 2024Trial
- Reframing Micronutrient Deficiencies for Modern times: A Review.Journal of general internal medicine · 2025Review
- Metformin treatment and risk of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Beijing, China.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2023Article
- Editorial: Frontiers in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in diabetic sensorimotor neuropathy.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2023Article
- A combination of herbal compound (SPTC) along with exercise or metformin more efficiently alleviated diabetic complications through down-regulation of stress oxidative pathway upon activating Nrf2-Keap1 axis in AGE rich diet-induced type 2 diabetic mice.Nutrition & metabolism · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
aimOur objective was to assess whether increased duration of metformin therapy is associated with incident peripheral neuropathy (PN) in older Veterans with diabetes.
methodsUsing national Veterans Affairs registry data from 2002 to 2015, we examined Veterans (50 + years) with diabetes. Long-term metformin therapy was defined as prescription ≥ 500 mg/day, filled for ≥ 6 consecutive months. Metformin therapy duration was examined both as continuous and categorical measures. Incident PN was defined by medical chart review. We estimated unadjusted and adjusted (variables selecteda priori)odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using logistic regression.
resultsThe study included n = 210,004 individuals (mean ± SD: age: 66.2 ± 8.4 yrs, 96% male) prescribed metformin for 47.0 ± 34.0 months. Nineteen percent developed PN during follow-up. After adjusting for age, body mass index, duration of time receiving health care within the VA, smoking status, alcohol abuse, and vitamin B12 testing and treatment, the number of months of metformin treatment was associated with elevated odds for incident PN (aOR (metformin treatment - continuous) = 1.009 (95% CI = 1.009, 1.010); aOR (metformin treatment - categorical (ref: 6-<18 months): 18-<44.1 months = 1.57 (1.51-1.63), 44.1-<61 months = 2.05 (1.97-2.14), 61 + months = 2.69 (2.58-2.79), all p-values < 0.0001).
conclusionOur study suggests that Veterans treated for at least 18 months with metformin are approximately 2-3 times more likely to develop PN than those treated at least six, but<18 months. Future studies are needed to determine whether the association we found may be due to a decline in vitamin B12 status following metformin initiation.
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