Skip to main content

GLP-1 RA Use Linked to Retained Gastric Contents During Endoscopies

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Oct 4, 2024.

via HealthDay

FRIDAY, Oct. 4, 2024 -- Use of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) is associated with the risk for retained gastric contents and inadequate bowel preparation during endoscopic procedures, according to a research letter published online Oct. 1 in JAMA Network Open.

Jason Nasser, M.D., from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and colleagues examined the potential associations between GLP-1 RA use and risks for gastric food retention and periprocedural aspiration during esophagogastroduodenoscopies (EGDs), when EGD was combined with colonoscopy, and in colonoscopy alone in a retrospective, single-center cross-sectional study. Individuals taking GLP-1 RAs at the time of endoscopy were matched for age, body mass index subgroup, sex, and procedure with individuals in a control group (70 and 139 individuals, respectively).

Overall, 33 percent of the cohort underwent EGD, 33 percent underwent colonoscopy, and 34 percent underwent both. The researchers found that four of 23 individuals (17.4 percent) in the GLP-1 RA group undergoing EGD alone and none of 46 in the control group had food retention (odds ratio, 21.5). In combined EGD-colonoscopies, there was no food retention observed. Inadequate bowel preparation was more common in the GLP-1 RA group than the control group among individuals undergoing colonoscopy or combined EGD-colonoscopies (21.3 versus 6.5 percent; odds ratio, 3.9). There were no aspiration events, respiratory distress, or aspiration pneumonia visits.

"Contrary to previous reports, our study identified a clear association between GLP-1 RA use and unsatisfactory bowel preparation, which carries significant risks for missed lesions, patient dissatisfaction, and procedure cancellation, with wasted resources," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Muscle Ultrasound Can Detect Insulin Resistance

MONDAY, June 30, 2025 -- Muscle ultrasound can detect insulin resistance and lower muscle mass, according to a study published online June 12 in the Journal of Ultrasound...

Intermittent Fasting Reduces Body Weight Versus Ad Libitum Diet

MONDAY, June 30, 2025 -- Intermittent-fasting strategies yield small reductions in body weight compared with an ad libitum diet, according to a study published online June 18 in...

32 Percent of U.S. Adults Consumed Fast Food on a Given Day in 2021 to 2023

FRIDAY, June 27, 2025 -- Over 30 percent of adults and children consumed fast food on a given day during August 2021 to August 2023, according to two reports from the National...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.