New research reveals GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic may reduce stroke risk and improve recovery.
At the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS), three new studies were presented that explored whether GLP-1 inhibitors could help reduce the risk of stroke or limit the severity of brain damage following a stroke.
These medications are typically prescribed for type 2 diabetes and obesity, as they are known to lower blood sugar levels and often lead to weight loss. One commonly used drug in this category is semaglutide (Ozempic).
Study 1: Ozempic and Stroke Survival Rates
The first study, titled “The Impact of Semaglutide (Ozempic) on Mortality and Survival in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Nationwide and Institutional Retrospective Analysis,” was led by researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The research team analyzed data from two sources: their own medical center and a large international health database. Their goal was to determine whether stroke patients who were taking Ozempic experienced better survival outcomes than those who were not using the medication.
In the global dataset, which included 2,021,704 stroke patients, 43,338 individuals were also using Ozempic. In the university’s own dataset, 13,510 stroke cases were reviewed, with 190 of those patients being Ozempic users. Across both sets of data, individuals taking Ozempic were found to have a lower risk of dying from stroke-related causes compared to those not on the drug.
In the global dataset, 5.26% of Ozempic users initially died from their strokes compared to 21.61% of non-users, and Ozempic users also had a 77.5% chance of surviving their strokes long term compared to 30.95% of non-Ozempic users. The university cohort showed similar results, with 5.26% of Ozempic users dying from stroke versus 26.57% of patients not using Ozempic.
Study 2: Reduced Risk of Stroke with Ozempic Use
In the second study, also from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, “Association between Ozempic Use and Stroke Risk: A Nationwide Emergency Department Analysis,” researchers examined a large nationwide sample of emergency department records for people who experienced stroke and people who were likely using Ozempic.
They found associations between potential Ozempic users and significantly reduced odds of stroke. The research team suggests taking this research further to evaluate data directly from pharmacies to be even more precise about the relationship between Ozempic and stroke prevention.
Study 3: GLP-1 Agonists and Brain Hemorrhage Outcomes
The third study, “Impact Of GLP-1 Agonists on Stroke, SAH, and ICH: A Propensity-matched Multi-institutional Cohort Study,” was presented by researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. They investigated whether GLP-1 inhibitors could improve patient outcomes after brain hemorrhages (both spontaneous bleeds and those due to brain aneurysm rupture) and stroke.
The team reviewed patient records from 6 months and 12 months after each brain hemorrhage and 1 year and 2 years after each stroke, finding that GLP-1 inhibitor use was connected to a reduced risk of cognitive side effects, seizures, future brain hemorrhage, and death after brain hemorrhage and stroke.
According to Ahmed Elbayomy, MD, a research fellow and data scientist in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and primary author of two of these studies, these results are very promising. “More research is certainly needed, but seeing the potential protection offered by these medications is a fascinating finding.”
“This research could introduce a new perspective to the discussion of preventing and mitigating the devastating effects of stroke and related brain injuries,” added Matias Costa, MD, from the Neurosurgery Department at the University of Texas Medical Branch and author of the third study.
Meeting: Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery’s (SNIS) 22nd Annual Meeting
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