OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of GLP-1–induced nausea and vomiting on patients with T2DM using the ‘Nausea and Vomiting Questionnaire’ (NVQ) and additional questionnaires designed to gather information on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and work productivity.
METHODS: A non-interventional, cross-sectional survey, was administered to T2DM patients. Screened respondents provided demographics, self-reported clinical and treatment information, and nausea- and/or vomiting-related resource utilization. Inclusion required T2DM diagnosis, age 18+ years and GLP-1 agonist treatment (among other criteria). Question S14 (“In the past 7 days, have you had any nausea or vomiting after using your GLP-1 medicine?”) designated eligibility for the impact survey. Enrolled participants also completed four patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures, including: NVQ, Functional Living Index–Emesis (FLIE), Work Productivity and Activity Impairment: Specific Health Problem (WPAI:SHP), and the MOS SF-12. Descriptive statistics were tabulated for all screener (eligible and ineligible responders) and survey questions (eligible only).
RESULTS: Overall, 1,026 respondents completed screening, including 204 enrollees reporting nausea and/or vomiting in the past 7 days. Eligible patients were 66% male, white (84%), non-Hispanic (75%), average (SD) age 41(11) years, with a diagnosis of T2DM between 3 and 9 years ago (53%) and 90% were first time GLP-1 users. Respondents (>60%) reported that nausea and/or vomiting (at its worst) impacted their relationships, work productivity, eating, sleeping, and amount of energy spent during the past 7 days. Respondents indicated using prescription (32%) and over-the-counter medications (26%) to treat nausea/vomiting. The questionnaire scores were: NVQ mean (SD) score = 52.3 (22.5), WPAI absenteeism/presenteeism/productivity loss = 22.8 (25.2) / 56.0 (27.6) / 62.2 (29.9), and SF-12 Mental / Physical = 42.7 (8.3)/ 44.6 (7.2) for the overall group.
CONCLUSIONS: This survey study shows that although there was a significant impact of nausea and vomiting on work productivity, the impact on HRQoL was relatively modest.
