Pioglitazone may help prevent painful skin ulcers in people with Werner syndrome

Pioglitazone may help prevent painful skin ulcers in people with Werner syndrome

A new research paper was published inaging(Listed by Medline/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 16, Issue 22 on December 2, 2024 entitled "Less common skin ulcers in patients with Werner syndrome treated with pioglitazone: Findings from the Japanese Registry of Japanese Werner Syndrome."

Scientists at Chiba University in Japan and other institutions have found that the drug pioglitazone, commonly used to treat diabetes, may help prevent painful skin ulcers in people with Werner's syndrome. Werner syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that causes people to age faster than normal, leading to early gray hair, cataracts and other age-related health problems. One of the most serious complications is skin ulcers, which affect almost 70% of people with the disorder and can lead to severe pain, infection and even amputation.

The study, led by first author Kazuto Aono and corresponding author Masaya Koshizaka, examined 51 patients with Werner syndrome from the Japanese Werner Syndrome Registry. Over half of the patients had skin ulcers, and those with ulcers were generally older and had higher blood pressure. The research team found that patients who took pioglitazone had far fewer ulcers, even after accounting for age.

Research suggests that pioglitazone's ability to reduce inflammation allows wounds to heal faster and prevents ulcers from forming. However, because the drug can cause side effects such as weaker bones, scientists recommend further studies to investigate safer options such as pioglitazone creams or gels that can be applied directly to the skin.

“Nanostructured hybrid materials loaded with pioglitazone are also being developed for clinical use and may be useful as wound dressings for ulcer treatment.”

Although the study shows promising results, the authors emphasize that more long-term studies are needed to confirm how effective the treatment is in addition to studying other factors such as diet and exercise, which may also help reduce ulcers.

In conclusion, this study presents pioglitazone as a potential option to prevent skin ulcers in patients with Werner's syndrome. While more studies are needed, these results offer hope for better treatments.

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