GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Linked to Better Cardiovascular Outcomes, Weight Loss, and Patient-Reported Health in People With Rheumatic Diseases

New ACR Convergence research finds that GLP-1 receptor agonist use may offer benefits beyond glucose control and weight management for veterans with rheumatologic disease and for people living with rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis.

ORLANDO –Two studies being presented at ACR Convergence 2026 suggest that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) may offer meaningful benefits for patients with rheumatic diseases beyond their established metabolic effects. Drawing on a large national cohort of U.S. veterans and data from the American College of Rheumatology’s Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE) EHR-based registry, the studies found that GLP-1 RA treatment was associated with a lower risk of serious cardiovascular events and mortality, as well as improvements in patient-reported physical health and disease impact among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), respectively.

GLP-1 receptor agonists are widely used to treat type 2 diabetes, obesity, and comorbidities associated with obesity such as sleep apnea. Because cardiovascular disease, obesity, metabolic disease, reduced physical function, and inflammation frequently overlap with rheumatic diseases, investigators are increasingly examining whether these therapies may have broader clinical value in rheumatology populations.

“People with rheumatologic diseases often face a combination of inflammatory disease burden and elevated cardiometabolic risk,” said Richa Purohit, MD, second-year fellow at the University of Central Florida and principal investigator and presenting author of abstract 2451719, “GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Reduce Composite Cardiovascular and Mortality Outcomes in Veterans with Rheumatologic Diseases: A National Propensity-Matched Cohort Study.” “Our findings suggest that GLP-1 receptor agonist treatment may be associated with clinically important reductions in serious cardiovascular events and death among veterans with rheumatologic conditions. This is particularly important because cardiovascular disease remains a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in these patients.”

In the national propensity-matched cohort study, researchers evaluated outcomes among veterans with rheumatologic diseases who received GLP-1 receptor agonists compared with matched patients who did not receive these medications. The study assessed a composite outcome incorporating cardiovascular events and mortality. Investigators found that GLP-1 RA use was associated with a reduction in the composite cardiovascular and mortality outcome.

The results add to growing evidence that the benefits of GLP-1 RAs may extend beyond weight reduction and glycemic management. However, the investigators emphasized that, as an observational study, the research demonstrates an association and cannot independently establish that GLP-1 RA treatment caused the improved outcomes.

A second ACR Convergence study, abstract 2454402, examined changes in patient-reported outcomes among people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) following GLP-1 receptor agonist initiation. Titled “Weight Loss Following GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Initiation Is Associated with Improved Patient Reported Outcomes in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis,” the study found that GLP-1 RA initiation was associated with improvements in patient-reported outcomes. Importantly, weight loss appeared to explain only part of these improvements, suggesting that additional mechanisms beyond weight reduction may contribute to the observed benefits.

“These findings underscore that weight loss may matter to patients in ways that are not fully captured by traditional clinical measures alone,” said Cristiano Moura, pharmacist and data scientist working in health research and principal investigator of abstract 2454402. “For people living with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, improvements in weight may be accompanied by improvements in how they feel (e.g., pain reduction), physical function, and how they experience the day-to-day effects of their disease.”

The study examined patient-reported outcomes following GLP-1 RA initiation in individuals with RA or PsA. Investigators observed that greater weight loss was associated with better patient-reported health outcomes, supporting the need to consider obesity and metabolic health as part of comprehensive rheumatology care.

Taken together, the two studies point toward a potential dual role for GLP-1 RAs in rheumatology: improving cardiometabolic risk profiles while also supporting outcomes that patients can directly feel in their daily lives.

“Rheumatology care increasingly requires attention to the whole person, including inflammation, comorbidities, cardiovascular risk, physical function, and quality of life,” said Dr. Jeffrey Curtis, senior author of the GLP-1RA analysis using RISE data. “These studies highlight the importance of evaluating treatments not only for their intended effects, such as weight loss, but also for their potential to improve rheumatic disease activity, long-term health, and patients’ quality of life. Importantly, GLP-1 receptor agonists may offer benefits that extend beyond weight loss alone, potentially through direct effects on inflammation and other biologic pathways relevant to rheumatic disease.”

The researchers noted that GLP-1 RAs are not currently substitutes for established disease-modifying treatments for RA, PsA, or other rheumatologic conditions. Treatment decisions should be individualized and made in discussion with a patient’s rheumatology and primary-care or metabolic-care teams, taking into account disease activity, cardiovascular risk, diabetes status, weight-related goals, multimorbidity, potential adverse effects, access, and insurance coverage.

Both abstracts will be presented at ACR Convergence, the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.

Media Contact
Teri Arnold
Director, Public Relations & Communications
757-272-7002
tarnold@rheumatology.org

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About the American College of Rheumatology
Founded in 1934, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is a not-for-profit, professional association committed to advancing the specialty of rheumatology that serves nearly 10,500 physicians, health professionals, researchers and scientists worldwide. In doing so, the ACR offers education, research, advocacy and practice management support to help its members continue their innovative work and provide quality patient care. Rheumatology professionals are experts in the diagnosis, management and treatment of more than 100 different types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases.

About ACR Convergence
ACR Convergence, the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, is where rheumatology meets to collaborate, celebrate, congregate, and learn. With hundreds of sessions and thousands of abstracts, it offers a superior combination of basic science, clinical science, business education and interactive discussions to improve patient care and advance the specialty. For more information about the meeting, visit the ACR Convergence page, or join the conversation on X by following the official hashtag (#ACR26).