Mortality risk of older people with type 2 diabetes reduced by SGLT2 inhibitors, study reveals

Older and frail people living with type 2 diabetes and heart failure are less likely to die if they take sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, new evidence has shown.

Researchers have identified that older people with type 2 diabetes and heart failure who are using SGLT2 inhibitors are less at risk of experiencing cardiac death and being admitted to hospital with heart failure.

However, SGLT2 inhibitors do not protect older people with the conditions from macrovascular death or renal events, the study has reported.

The team of academics examined 20 randomised controlled trials and observational studies comparing SGLT2 inhibitors versus placebo or other glucose-lowering agent for people aged 65 or older with type 2 diabetes and heart failure.

They found that SGLT2 inhibitors were associated with a significant reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality, cardiac death and hospitalisation for heart failure among older and frail people living with type 2 diabetes.

In addition, they discovered that SGLT2 inhibitors did not demonstrate significant effect in reducing in the risk of macrovascular events (acute coronary syndrome or cerebral vascular occlusion), renal progression, composite renal endpoint, acute kidney injury, worsening heart failure, atrial fibrillation or diabetic ketoacidosis.

The full study is available here.