Pioglitazone May Reduce Skin Ulcer Risk in Rare Disorder

TOPLINE:

A Japanese study suggests that age and higher blood pressure significantly increase the risk for skin ulcers in patients with Werner syndrome (WS), while treatment with pioglitazone may offer protection.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analyzed data from 51 patients with WS enrolled in the Japanese Werner Syndrome Registry between 2016 and 2022.
• The mean age of participants was 48.8 years; 52.9% were men.
• Skin ulcers were present in 66.7% of the participants.

TAKEAWAY:

• Patients with skin ulcers were older than those without ulcers (mean, 50.6 vs 45.1 years; P = .02) and had higher levels of blood urea nitrogen (mean, 17.6 mg/dL vs 13.7 mg/dL; P = .03) and higher systolic blood pressure (SBP; mean 129.4 mm Hg vs 111.3 mm Hg; P
• Higher SBP was a significant risk factor for skin ulcers after age adjustment (odds ratio [OR], 1.08; P = .01).
• Patients without skin ulcers were more likely to be treated with metformin (43.8% vs 15.6%, P = .03) and pioglitazone (50.0% vs 21.9%, P = .04) than those with ulcers. After adjustment for age, the reduction in risk for skin ulcers was significant for those on pioglitazone but not for those on metformin.
• Patients treated with pioglitazone had a significantly lower risk for foot ulcers (OR, 0.13; P = .02); those treated with metformin showed a trend toward a lower foot ulcer risk.

IN PRACTICE:

“Age and SBP are risk factors for skin ulcers” among patients with WS, and “pioglitazone may be effective in treating skin ulcers,” the authors concluded. Studies are needed to “demonstrate the potential benefits of pioglitazone use on WS-derived fibroblasts, adipose tissue, and macrophages and to confirm the usefulness of topical pioglitazone to treat skin ulcers in patients with WS,” they added.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Kazuto Aono, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan. It was published online on December 2 in Aging.

LIMITATIONS:

Small sample size, cross-sectional design, lack of medication history, and use of questionnaire information only were some limitations of this study.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was supported by grants from KAKENHI, AMED, and MHLW of Japan. The authors reported no competing interests.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.