The following is a summary of “Efficacy and Safety of Liraglutide in Patients With an Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis and Chronic High Bowel Frequency: A Placebo-Controlled, Crossover, Proof-of-Concept Study,” published in the September 2024 issue of Gastroenterology by Herfarth et al.
After colectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA), many patients experience persistent high bowel frequency (BF), even with normal pouch anatomy and despite using antimotility medications. Studies have suggested a link between this condition and low glucagon-like protein-1 (GLP-1) levels, a hormone that regulates gut movement.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate the association between low circulating levels of GLP-1 and high BF in patients who underwent IPAA.
They conducted a double-blind crossover study involving 8 patients with IPAA and refractory high BF treated with daily GLP-1 receptor agonist liraglutide or a placebo.
The results showed that liraglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, significantly reduced the daily BF in the study participants, reducing more than 35% compared to the placebo group. This difference was statistically significant, with a P-value of less than 0.03 (P<0.03), indicating that the effect observed with liraglutide was unlikely to have occurred by chance. In contrast, the placebo did not produce any notable effects on the daily BF in patients, demonstrating the potential efficacy of liraglutide in managing symptoms associated with high bowel frequency in individuals with IPAA.
They concluded that low circulating levels of GLP-1 are associated with high BF in patients who have undergone IPAA.
Source: journals.lww.com/ajg/fulltext/2024/09000/efficacy_and_safety_of_liraglutide_in_patients.33.aspx
