Kidney protection better with SGLT2 inhibitors, study reveals

Taking SLGT2 inhibitors is more effective in slowing your decline in estimated glomerular filtration rates than taking DPP4 inhibitors, scientists have said.

A real-world study in Japan has found that SLGT2 inhibitors offer better kidney protection than DPP4 inhibitors.

The scientists examined the renal outcomes of more than 6,000 adults aged 60 years and older with diabetes who were newly initiated on SGLT2 inhibitors or DPP4 inhibitors.

More than 6,000 adults with diabetes who were newly initiated on SGLT2 inhibitors or DPP4 inhibitors were tracked by the researchers.

Approximately 1,271 of the participants were using SGLT2 inhibitors, while the remaining 5,083 were DPP4 inhibitor users.

The findings have shown that the SGLT2 inhibitor group had a significantly slower decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) compared with the DPP4 inhibitor group (-0.97 vs -1.83 mL/min/1.73 m2 per year).

“Our large-scale real-world dataset analysis demonstrated that older individuals with diabetes who were newly prescribed SGLT2 inhibitors had more favourable kidney outcomes than did those who were newly prescribed DPP4 inhibitors,” said the authors.

They added: “These findings suggest a potential advantage of SGLT2 inhibitors for kidney outcomes, even in older individuals with diabetes.”

Read the study in full in the journal Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation.