ABSTRACT
Prevention and timely management of cardiovascular (CV) complications like myocardial infarction, heart failure (HF), stroke and renal complications, like chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease, are important to improve the quality of life and survival in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The multifaceted action of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) results in effective glycemic control with benefits on CV and renal risk factors, like body weight, blood pressure, uric acid and albuminuria. Robust CV and renal event reduction is reflected in the outcomes of large CV outcome trials, meta-analyses and real-world studies. Recent evidence has proven cardiac and renal benefits with SGLT2i in subjects with HF and CKD irrespective of their T2DM status. Until recently, SGLT2i was used as a glucose-lowering molecule with pleiotropic benefits, mainly by primary care practitioners and diabetologists. The potential for cardiac and renal protection in people with and without T2DM has shifted an interest in cardiologists and nephrologists to view it as a cardiac and renal molecule, respectively. Thus, the role of SGLT2i in the management of T2DM is undergoing a paradigm shift—straddling the interfaces of diabetology, cardiology, nephrology and primary care—moving away from being considered a pure antidiabetic molecule. We conducted a literature review of SGLT2i in management of T2DM along with their protective effects on CV and renal parameters in patients with or without baseline comorbidities.
ABSTRACT
Background: We sought to describe global patterns in achievement of risk factor control for primary prevention in patients with T2D and explore the association of country's GNI/capita with risk factor control. Methods: The DISCOVER study is a prospective, observational study of patients with T2D from 38 countries enrolled at initiation of second-line glucose-lowering therapy. We examined achievement of risk factor control (glycosylated hemoglobin <7%, blood pressure <140/90 mmHg, prescription of a statin) at 3 years among those without optimal control at baseline. Countries were stratified by gross national income (GNI)/capita, from 2017). We examined the impact of country GNI/capita with achievement of risk factor control. Findings: Our cohort included 9613 patients with T2D and without baseline cardiovascular disease (mean age 57.2 ± 8.7 years, 47.9% women). At baseline, 6354/7646 patients (83.1%) had suboptimal glucose control, 3449/9200 patients (37.5%) had suboptimal BP control, and 2800/4221 patients (66.7%) were not on an appropriate statin (sample sizes differed due to missing covariate data). Optimal control at 3 years of follow-up was achieved in 41% (glucose), 56% (blood pressure), and 29% (statins) of patients. There was significant variability in achievement of risk factor control across countries but no association between country GNI/capita with achievement of risk factor control (p > 0.08 for all). Interpretation: In a global, prospective study of patients with T2D, we found that cardiovascular risk factor control achievement was suboptimal despite 3 years of follow-up in specialized health care systems. Neither country-level nor patient-level socioeconomic factors fully explained this finding.