Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40241193›Full record

ArticleArthritis research & therapy2025

Hydroxychloroquine dose-dependently reduces the risk of incident diabetes in primary Sjögren syndrome patients on glucocorticoids: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

Wei-Sheng Chen, Hui-Ching Hsu, Tzu-Min Lin, Yu-Sheng Chang, Yi-Chun Lin, Tzu-Tung Kuo, Yu-Chuan Shen, Shu-Chuan Chen, Jin-Hua Chen, Hsiang-Yen Lee and 1 more

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Article in Arthritis research & therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Wei-Sheng ChenDivision of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Hui-Ching HsuDivision of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, 252 Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei, Taiwan.
Tzu-Min LinDivision of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, 252 Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yu-Sheng ChangDivision of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, 252 Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yi-Chun LinSchool of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Tzu-Tung KuoBiostatistics Center, College of Management, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yu-Chuan ShenDivision of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Wang Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Shu-Chuan ChenDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, USA.
Jin-Hua ChenBiostatistics Center, College of Management, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Hsiang-Yen LeeDivision of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. plumlikesalt@gmail.com.
Chi-Ching ChangDivision of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, 252 Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei, Taiwan. ccchang@tmu.edu.tw.ORCID 0000-0001-6301-191X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is commonly used to treat Sjögren syndrome (SS). Glucocorticoids, which are commonly applied for managing primary SS (pSS), can disrupt glucose metabolism and increase diabetes mellitus (DM) risk. HCQ reduces DM risk in systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.

objectiveThis study aimed to investigate the relationship between HCQ and glucocorticoids in the incidence of new-onset diabetes in pSS.

methodsThis nationwide population-based cohort study identified patients diagnosed with pSS from the Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database from 2006 to 2015. Multivariate and stratified analyses, Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox proportional hazard regression were used to evaluate DM risk associated with the use of HCQ and glucocorticoid, both individually and in combination.

resultsAmong pSS patients (4,874 HCQ users and 2,437 HCQ nonusers), 497 patients developed DM over an average follow-up of 4.89 years. Multivariate analysis revealed significantly lower adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for DM in HCQ users in the 151-350 cumulative defined daily dose (cDDD) and ≥ 351 cDDD subgroups (0.600, 95% CI: 0.454-0.794 and 0.326, 95% CI: 0.246-0.433, respectively) compared with HCQ nonusers. High-dose glucocorticoids (≥ 151 cDDD) were linked to increased DM risk (aHR: 1.833, 95% CI: 1.410-2.383). However, high-dose HCQ (> 350 cDDD) mitigated this risk, even the risk caused by the use of high-dose glucocorticoids (≥ 151 cDDD) (aHR: 0.632, 95% CI: 0.421-0.948, P < 0.01).

conclusionsOur study demonstrated that HCQ exposure significantly reduces the risk of developing diabetes in patients with pSS. While higher doses of glucocorticoids are associated with an increased diabetes risk, concurrent HCQ use mitigates this risk in a dose-dependent manner.

Indexed as

Antirheumatic AgentsDiabetes MellitusGlucocorticoidsHydroxychloroquineSjogren's SyndromeAdultAgedCohort StudiesDose-Response Relationship, DrugFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedRisk FactorsTaiwanAntirheumatic AgentsGlucocorticoidsHydroxychloroquineDiabetesHydroxycholoroquineSjögren Syndrome

Identifiers

PMID40241193
PMCPMC12004743

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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.