A recent meta-analysis published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology suggests that sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors significantly improve cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This includes a reduced incidence of mortality, major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) and heart failure (HF).
Researchers performed a meta-analysis of 35 randomised controlled trials on SGLT2 inhibitors (canagliflozin, 9; empagliflozin, 8; dapagliflozin, 18) identified through a literature search on the MEDLINE, Scopus, CENTRAL and clinicaltrials.gov databases.
Pooled analysis showed a significant reduction in all-cause mortality (OR, 0.79; P<.001), MACEs (OR, 0.83; P<.001), non-fatal MI (OR, 0.85; P=.03) and HF/hospitalisation for HF (OR, 0.67; P<.001) with SGLT2 inhibitors vs placebo in patients with T2DM. There was no significant risk reduction for stroke (OR, 1.02; P=.87), Afib (OR, 0.61; P=.15) or unstable angina (OR, 0.95; P=.73) with SGLT2 inhibitors.
According to the authors, the cardioprotective actions of this drug class cannot be attributed to glycaemic control alone. Other mechanisms, including reduction in markers of atrial stiffness and reduction of systolic BP, may possibly play a role.
"The promising findings of our study open doors for research of SGLT2 inhibitors in non-diabetic patients with cardiac illness or at risk for cardiovascular diseases," the authors said.
