The Association of Joint Pain and Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitor Use Among U.S. Adults With Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus

The purpose of this study was to examine the association of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4Is) with joint pain in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This was a retrospective cross-sectional study design, pooling data from the 2012 and 2014 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The sample consisted of 4,559 T2DM patients older than 40 years with (n = 3,224) or without joint pain (n = 1,335). Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to describe association of DPP4I use with joint pain. Among adults with T2DM, 70.7% reported physician-diagnosed joint pain. There were no significant differences in DPP4I use among those with and without joint pain (7.8% vs 6.3%). Even after adjusting for other factors that may affect DPP4I use, there was not a statistically significant difference in DPP4I use among adults with T2DM with and without joint pain (AOR = 1.04; 95% CI, 0.74–1.48). Adults with public health insurance (AOR = 1.76; 95% CI, 1.01–3.04), with prescription insurance (AOR = 1.76; 95% CI, 1.02–3.03), and with a heart disease (AOR = 1.59; 95% CI, 1.18–2.15). DPP4I use was not affected by the presence of joint pain.