Journal of translational medicineApr 4, 2025

Glucagon-like Peptide-1 drugs for obstructive sleep apnea in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes: a review and combined analysis

GLP-1 Therapies Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Updated Jan 20, 2026

Abstract

The efficacy of (GLP-1 RAs) in reducing the (AHI) is quantified as a mean difference of -5.68 in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

GLP-1 RAs showed a statistically significant reduction in AHI compared to the control group in patients with T2DM.
The confidence interval for the mean difference in AHI was [-7.97, -3.38], indicating a robust effect.
There was a tendency for GLP-1 RAs to reduce AHI in patients with obesity, but the evidence was inconsistent.
Enhanced metabolic parameters were observed with GLP-1 RAs, suggesting potential benefits beyond sleep apnea management.
GLP-1 RAs may be considered as a treatment option for patients with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea, contingent on tolerability of adverse events.

Simplified

The systematic review was registered on the PROSPERO website (CRD42024558287). Our objective is to systematically summarise the clinical evidence of (GLP-1 RA) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with Obesity or/and type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). This analysis was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. 10 databases and registers Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, APA PsycInfo, Embase, Ovid, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Clinicaltrials.gov, and International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) were retrieved from the establishment to July 14, 2024 for related randomized controlled trials (RCT) and non-RCTs. Data were extracted by two investigators separately, and only the RCTs were included in the quantitative synthesis. The outcome was operated by Review Manager 5.4 and Stata 15.0. Ten studies containing eight RCTs and two non-RCTs were included. The efficacy of the GLP-1 RA group in reducing (AHI) was superior to that of the control group in patients with T2DM (MD = -5.68, 95%CI [-7.97, -3.38], P < 0.00001, I = 0%). GLP-1 RAs also possessed a tendency to reduce AHI in patients with obesity but more evidence is needed to support the findings due to the inconsistency. In consideration of the enhanced metabolic parameters observed with GLP-1 RAs, they may be recommended as useful hypoglycaemic medication for the management of T2DM with OSA. Patients with obesity and OSA may consider GLP-1 RA as a potential treatment option if the adverse events are deemed tolerable. 2

Key numbers

-5.68

Decrease in

Mean difference in for group vs. control in patients

RR = 1.35

increase

Relative risk of for vs. control

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Funding

Competing interests

Declarations. Ethical statement: Not applicable. Conflict of interest: The named authors have no conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.

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Glucagon-like Peptide-1 drugs for obstructive sleep apnea in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes: a review and combined analysis

Abstract

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