Cardiorenal outcomes and safety of SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with diabetes secondary to disorders of the exocrine pancreas: a nationwide population-based study

Aims

Limited data are available on the effectiveness of pharmacological treatments for diabetes secondary to disorders of the exocrine pancreas (DEP). This study evaluated the real-world effectiveness and safety of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in individuals with DEP.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. Data on 66,120 individuals with DEP who initiated glucose-lowering drugs (GLDs) between September 2014 and December 2022 were analyzed. Patients initiating SGLT2 inhibitors were matched 1:1 with patients initiating other GLDs using propensity-score matching. The effectiveness outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), heart failure, end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), and all-cause mortality. The safety outcomes included hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, genital infections, urinary tract infections, fractures, pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer.

Results

After matching, 4,128 SGLT2 inhibitor-other GLD user pairs were included in the analysis, with a mean follow-up of 2.3 years. Compared with use of other GLDs, use of SGLT2 inhibitors was associated with a significantly lower risk of MACE (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.51–0.93), hospitalization for heart failure (HR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.51–0.95), ESKD (HR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.06–0.61), and all-cause mortality (HR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.27–0.53). SGLT2 inhibitor use was associated with a reduced risk of urinary tract infections (HR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.78–0.96) and pancreatitis (HR 0.71; 95% CI 0.58–0.87).

Conclusions

SGLT2 inhibitors were associated with a reduced risk of adverse cardiorenal outcomes and all-cause mortality and were safely used in patients with DEP.