Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors may be associated with a significant reduction in cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure (HHF) among patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), according to new data published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
“Previous studies had shown that this medication would be beneficial in HFpEF, but we found that it can also help heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction,” lead author Vasiliki Tsampasian, MD, of the University of East Anglia's Norwich Medical School in the U.K., said in a prepared statement.
Tsampasian et al. conducted a meta-analysis of nearly 10,000 patients. The primary endpoint was cardiovascular death and HHF.
Researchers examined PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and Web of Science databases, landing on a total of five different studies.
According to the authors, 5,046 patients were given an SGLT2, and 4,680 received a placebo.
“We found that patients taking SGLT2 inhibitors were 22% less likely to die from heart-related causes or be hospitalized for heart failure exacerbation than those taking placebo,” Tsampasian said. “This is very important because this is the first medication that can provide a benefit to this previously untreatable group of patients in terms of heart-related deaths or hospitalization.”
Tsampasian added: "This is the first medication that can really improve the outcomes for this patient group, and it will revolutionize the treatment offered to heart failure patients.”
Read the full study here.