Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34894326›Full record

SynthesisClinical drug investigation2022

Semaglutide and Diabetic Retinopathy Risk in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Feiyu Wang, Yinjun Mao, Hang Wang, Yiwei Liu, Pinfang Huang

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Clinical drug investigation, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
33citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
5.1field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
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

33 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 58 citations in OpenAlex.

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  20. Semaglutide and the Retina.Journal of diabetes · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Feiyu WangDepartment of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Chazhong Road No. 20, Fuzhou, 350005, China.
Yinjun MaoDepartment of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Chazhong Road No. 20, Fuzhou, 350005, China.
Hang WangDepartment of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Chazhong Road No. 20, Fuzhou, 350005, China.
Yiwei LiuDepartment of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Chazhong Road No. 20, Fuzhou, 350005, China.
Pinfang HuangDepartment of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Chazhong Road No. 20, Fuzhou, 350005, China. abstract2016@163.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2699-9663
Fujian Medical University · CN

Funding

Fujian Youth Education Research Project JT180186the Startup Fund for Scientific Research, Fujian Medical University 2018QH1071
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSemaglutide is a recently approved glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The SUSTAIN 6 trial found a significantly higher rate of retinopathy complications in the semaglutide-treated group compared with the placebo group.

objectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the association between semaglutide and the risk of retinopathy in patients with T2DM.

methodsElectronic databases were systematically searched up to April 2021 to identify randomized controlled trials that reported diabetic retinopathy (DR) events in semaglutide-treated and control groups. A meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4 software to calculate the risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

resultsA total of 23 randomized trials involving 22,096 patients with T2DM were included. There were 730 incident DR cases-463 in the semaglutide group and 267 in the control group. Overall, semaglutide was not associated with increased DR risk compared with controls when all trials were combined (RR 1.14, 95% CI 0.98-1.33). Subgroup analysis showed that semaglutide was associated with an increased risk of DR compared with placebo (RR 1.24, 95% CI 1.03-1.50). Moreover, patient age ≥ 60 years and diabetes duration ≥ 10 years were also factors for increased risk of DR when using semaglutide (RR 1.27, 95% CI 1.02-1.59; RR 1.28, 95% CI 1.04-1.58, respectively).

conclusionsSemaglutide was not associated with an increased risk of DR; however, caution regarding DR risk is needed for older patients or those with long diabetes duration when taking semaglutide.

Indexed as

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2Diabetic RetinopathyGlucagon-Like PeptidesHumansHypoglycemic AgentsMiddle AgedRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSemaglutideGlucagon-Like PeptidesHypoglycemic AgentsSemaglutide

Identifiers

PMID34894326
OpenAlexW4200181543

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.