HOMA-IR as a predictor of Health Outcomes in Patients with Metabolic Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Introduction: There exists clinical interest in the following question: Is there an association between HOMA-IR and the risk of developing metabolic diseases?
Aims: Assessing the association between high values of HOMA-IR with the incidence of T2DM, MACE, essential hypertension, dyslipidemia, NASH, and cancer in healthy participants and participants with a component of metabolic syndrome.
Methods: Databases were searched by an experienced librarian to find eligible studies. Observational cohort studies enrolling healthy adults and adults with metabolic syndrome components that evaluated HOMA as a marker of IR were considered for inclusion. Eligibility assessment, data extraction and risk of bias assessment were performed independently and in duplicate. Baseline characteristics of patients, cutoff values of HOMA-IR to predict metabolic events were extracted independently and in duplicate.
Results: 38 studies (215,878 participants) proved eligible. A higher HOMA-IR value had a significant effect on the risk of developing T2DM (HR 1.87; CI 1.40-2.49), presenting non-fatal MACE (HR 1.46; CI 1.08-1.97) and hypertension (HR 1.35; CI 1.15-1.59). No association was found regarding cancer mortality and fatal MACE with higher HOMA-IR values, there was not enough information to carry out a meta-analysis to establish an association between higher values of HOMA with cancer incidence, dyslipidemia, and NASH.
Conclusions: High values of HOMA were associated with an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, and non-fatal MACE; yet, not for cardiovascular or cancer mortality. More research is needed to determine the value of the HOMA index in metabolic and cardiovascular outcomes.
Prospero Registration Number: CRD42020187645.
(© 2022. Italian Society of Hypertension.)