Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2025

A High-Throughput Multiplexed Screening for Type 1 Diabetes, Celiac Diseases, and COVID-19
Published on: July 5, 2022
The Effect of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors on COVID-19 Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A
Kyoung Ree Lim1, Kwang Jin Chun2, Bum Sung Kim3
1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Seoul 05278, Republic of Korea.
Background:
There is no clinical evidence about the effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors on diabetic patients who have been diagnosed with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19).
Methods:
The dataset is based on insurance benefit claims sent to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service of Korea from January, 2018 to April, 2022. Among 9,822,577 patients who were involved in the claims, diabetic patients were divided into two groups based on whether they had a prescription for an SGLT2 inhibitor. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs), which were a composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, and revascularization over 90 days.
Results:
A total of 172,682 patients was analyzed. In the propensity score-matched analysis, the rate of MACCE was lower in the SGLT2 inhibitor group compared to the non-SGLT2 inhibitor group (0.89% vs. 1.31%; hazard ratio, 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.94; p =0.020). Each of the MACCEs showed no differences between the two groups. The rate of pneumonia was similar between the two groups (4.45% vs. 4.39%; hazard ratio, 1.06; 95% confidence interval, 0.91-1.16; p = 0.620).
Conclusions:
In the diabetic patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19, SGLT2 inhibitors were associated with improved clinical outcomes in terms of MACCEs. SGLT2 inhibitors might be considered for prescription to diabetic patients in the current context of long COVID-19.
Related Concept Videos
Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
Glucose Transporters
Facilitated diffusion-glucose transporters (GLUTs) are encoded by the solute-linked carrier (SLC) family 2, subfamily A gene family, or SLC2A. The 14 GLUT protein members are distributed into three classes:
Overview of Carbohydrate Metabolism
Glucose transport into cells is facilitated by a family of transport proteins called GLUT (Glucose Transporters). GLUT4 is the primary glucose transporter for insulin-stimulated glucose...
Carbohydrate Metabolism
Starch accounts for approximately 60% of the carbohydrates consumed by humans. Since amylase enzymes cannot function in the stomach's acidic environment, starch can only be digested in the mouth and small intestine. Simple sugars are found naturally in milk and fruits in...
Oral Hypoglycemic Agents: Biguanides and Glitazones
Diabetes: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Complications

