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Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors in Diabetic Patients with Heart Failure: An Update
Nicia I Profili1, Roberto Castelli1, Antonio Gidaro2
1Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
Insights
Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, initially for type 2 diabetes, show significant benefits for heart failure patients. These drugs improve cardiovascular health and manage heart failure, regardless of diabetes status.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Endocrinology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Diabetes mellitus and heart failure frequently coexist, particularly in elderly patients.
- Elevated blood glucose levels adversely affect the cardiovascular system, worsening glycemic control.
- Poor glycemic control exacerbates the onset and recurrence of heart failure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the efficacy of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2 inhibitors) in managing heart failure.
- To explore the cardiovascular benefits of SGLT2 inhibitors beyond glycemic control.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of clinical trials and studies on SGLT2 inhibitors.
- Examination of the mechanisms underlying SGLT2 inhibitor action in heart failure.
Main Results:
- SGLT2 inhibitors reduce blood glucose via glycosuria, lowering cardiovascular risk.
- These inhibitors possess a diuretic effect beneficial for heart failure management.
- Evidence suggests SGLT2 inhibitors improve heart failure treatment irrespective of glycemic control.
Conclusions:
- SGLT2 inhibitors demonstrate efficacy in treating both chronic and acute heart failure.
- The cardiovascular benefits of SGLT2 inhibitors extend to patients without diabetes mellitus.
- SGLT2 inhibitors represent a significant therapeutic advancement for heart failure management.
Abstract:
Diabetes mellitus and heart failure are two diseases that are commonly found together, in particular in older patients. High blood glucose has a detrimental effect on the cardiovascular system, and worse glycemic control contributes to the onset and the recrudesce of heart failure. Therefore, any specific treatment aimed to reduce glycated hemoglobin may, in turn, have a beneficial effect on heart failure. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors have been initially developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, and their significant action is to increase glycosuria, which in turn causes a reduction in glucose blood level and contributes to the reduction of cardiovascular risk. However, recent clinical trials have progressively demonstrated that the glycosuric effect of the sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors also have a diuretic effect, which is a crucial target in the management of patients with heart failure. Additional studies also documented that sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors improve the therapeutical management of heart failure, independently by the glycemic control and, therefore, by the presence of diabetes mellitus. In this review, we analyzed studies and trials demonstrating the efficacy of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors in treating chronic and acute heart failure.
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