Unspecified intestinal malabsorption in patients treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers: a retrospective analysis in primary care settings

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the possible relationship between the use of Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARBs) or Angiotensin-Converting-Enzyme Inhibitors (ACE-i) and unspecified intestinal malabsorption (IM) within the Italian and German real-life context.

Research design and methods: a retrospective cohort of patients with a new unspecified IM diagnosis during the period 1 January 2010–31 December 2013 was extracted from Italian IMS Health Longitudinal Patient Database and German IMS Disease Analyzer. Only patients with at least one prescription of ARB or ACE-i medication during the 6 months preceding the IM diagnosis were included and then followed up for 12 months to assess treatment exposure.

Results: After stratification by year and molecule, the proportion of patients experiencing an unspecified IM diagnosis on total patients receiving ARBs or ACE-i ranged from 0% to 0.14%, showing no relevant differences between molecules and no time trends.

Conclusions: this study indicates that ACE-i or ARBs were rarely associated to an unspecified IM diagnosis. No relevant difference between each specific ACE-i and ARB was highlighted.

KEYWORDS:

• ARB
• ACE-inhibitor
• intestinal malabsorption
• olmesartan
• sprue-like enteropathy
• SLE

View correction statement:

Corrigendum

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Additional information

Funding

This paper has been funded by A. Menarini Industrie Farmaceutiche Riunite.