A NEW study highlights the potential benefits of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) in diabetic kidney transplant recipients (KTR), showing significant reductions in mortality and adverse cardiac and kidney events. The findings underscore the potential of SGLT-2i to improve long-term outcomes for this high-risk population.
The research, utilising data from the TriNetX database, analysed type 2 diabetic patients who underwent kidney transplants between June 2015 and June 2023. The study focused on patients who started SGLT-2i therapy within three months post-transplant. After propensity score matching, 1,970 SGLT-2i users were compared to matched non-users over a median follow-up period of 3.4 years.
Key results showed that SGLT-2i users had significantly lower rates of all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.32), major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (aHR: 0.48), and major adverse kidney events (MAKE) (aHR: 0.52). These findings suggest that SGLT-2i therapy can substantially enhance survival and reduce the risk of complications in diabetic KTR.
The study underscores the role of SGLT-2i as a valuable tool for improving post-transplant outcomes, not only through cardiovascular and renal protection but also by reducing mortality rates. Given these promising results, SGLT-2i could become an integral part of post-transplant care for diabetic patients.
Reference
Sheu JY et al. The outcomes of SGLT-2 inhibitor utilization in diabetic kidney transplant recipients. Nat Commun. 2024;DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54171-8.