Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics May Increase Diabetics’ Risk of Dysglycemia

A study of more than 78,000 diabetic patients found that those taking fluoroquinolones had a higher risk of dysglycemia within 30 days of initiating the drugs than those taking other antibiotics. The incidence of hyperglycemia per 1000 persons was 6.9 for moxifloxacin and 1.6 for macrolides. The risk of hypoglycemia was 10.0 for moxifloxacin and 3.7 for macrolides. Patients taking levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and moxifloxacin were 1.75 to 2.48 times more likely to develop hyperglycemia and 1.79 to 2.13 times more likely to develop hypoglycemia than those taking macrolides. The findings are published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.