SGLT2 inhibitors help prevent anaemia in patients with diabetes

The use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors resulted in a reduced prevalence of anaemia and decreased risk of hospitalizations due to anaemia relative to the use of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors in patients with diabetes, reports a study.

Overall, 22,896 patients participated in this retrospective cohort study. Of these, 11,448 were treated with SGLT2 inhibitors, while an equal number received DPP4 inhibitors.

A significantly lower risk of anaemia was noted among patients treated with SGLT2 inhibitors (hazard ratio, 0.6, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.58‒0.63) than those treated with DPP4 inhibitors. The risk of hospitalizations due to anaemia was also significantly reduced with SGLT2 inhibitors (HR, 0.67, 95 percent CI, 0.58‒0.77).

Furthermore, the use of SGLT2 inhibitors correlated with a reduced need for anaemia treatment (HR, 0.84, 95 percent CI, 0.78‒0.92; p<0.001).

In this study, the authors obtained the dataset from the repositories of Clalit Health Services to explore the effect of SGLT2 inhibitors on the incidence, complications, and therapeutic demands of anaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes.

They identified eligible participants who received treatment with SGLT2 inhibitors from 1 January 2016 through 31 December 2021 and compared them with a matched control group who received DPP4 inhibitors using propensity score. Anaemia prevalence was the primary endpoint.