A literature review of GLP-1 agonists for the urologist: What do we know so far?
Anayat Ullah, Aliya Ali, Leena Medani, Jack Donati-BourneObjectives:
Urologists are noting a surge in patients they see who are concurrently taking weight-loss injections, due to exponential rises in prescriptions of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) for medical and aesthetic purposes. This study aims to summarise current evidence around GLP-1RAs by categorising their unintended benefits and side effects across common urological conditions that may have important ramifications within the field of urology.
Materials and methods:
Comprehensive literature review using PubMed
®
, MEDLINE
®
and Google™ Scholar for relevant scientific articles published in English. Manual bibliography search and “
Results:
Current knowledge of the collateral impact of GLP-1RA on common urological conditions, such as erectile dysfunction (ED), UTIs, urolithiasis, urological malignancies and hypogonadism is conflicting and predominantly based on weak levels of evidence. Pubmed ® identifies 79 relevant studies relating GLP-1RA to the chosen common urological conditions. There are no randomised controlled trials (RCTs) dedicated to GLP-1RA whose primary outcome pertains directly to urological symptoms and/or sequelae.
Conclusion:
GLP-1RA may exert clinically relevant effects across multiple urological domains; however, current evidence is insufficient to draw definitive conclusions. Long-term safety data are lacking. Urologists should remain vigilant while prospective, urology-focused RCTs are urgently needed.
Levels of evidence:
Not applicable.