Long-term effectiveness of SGLT2 inhibitors in type 2 diabetes patients with myocardial injury: A population-based study

Abstract

Background

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have demonstrated cardiovascular benefits in randomized trials. However, real-world evidence on their cardioprotective effect in high-risk populations with documented myocardial injury—such as heart failure (HF), acute coronary syndrome (ACS), myocardial revascularization, or cardiac surgery—is still limited.

Objective

To evaluate the impact of SGLT2 inhibitor adherence on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and a history of myocardial injury, in a real-world setting.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the healthcare utilization databases of the Lombardy region (Italy) to identify all patients with T2DM who were dispensed SGLT2 inhibitors between 2014–2020, and had one hospitalization for HF, myocardial revascularization, ACS or cardiac surgery in the previous 10 years. Adherence was calculated as the proportion of days covered by therapy during follow-up. Cox regression analysis was performed to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) for cardiovascular hospitalizations and death.

Results

Among 1789 HF, 5759 revascularization, 3986 ACS, and 4580 cardiac surgery patients, higher adherence to SGLT2i therapy was consistently associated with a lower risk of CV events or death. Adjusted HRs for high vs. very low adherence were: HF, 0.65 (95 %CI:0.52–0.82); revascularization, 0.70 (95 %CI:0.59–0.84); ACS, 0.76 (95 %CI:0.62–0.93); and cardiac surgery, 0.69 (95 %CI:0.57–0.84). A dose-response trend was observed across adherence levels.

Conclusion

High adherence to SGLT2 inhibitors therapy can significantly decrease the risk of cardiovascular-related hospitalization and death in patients with T2DM and several forms of myocardial injury, such as HF, ACS, myocardial revascularization, and cardiac surgery.