SGLT2 Inhibitors Tied to Reduced Gout Risk

Use of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors may be associated with a reduced risk of gout among patients with type 2 diabetes, according to new findings.

Because hyperuricemia is common in type 2 diabetes and can cause gout, SGLT2 inhibitors in particular may help prevent gout in type 2 diabetes due to their ability to prevent glucose reabsorption and lower serum uric acid levels, the researchers wrote.

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Researchers arrived at their conclusion after performing a population-based cohort study of 295,907 adults with type 2 diabetes who had been newly prescribed an SGLT2 inhibitor or a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP1) receptor agonist. Patients with a history of gout or receipt of gout-specific treatment previously were excluded. Data were obtained from a US nationwide commercial insurance database from March 2013 to December 2017.

The primary outcome of the study was defined as a new gout diagnosis. To estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of this outcome, Cox proportional hazards regression was used.

The results of the study indicated that the incidence of gout was lower among patients treated with SGLT2 inhibitors compared with those treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists (4.9 vs 7.8 events per 1000 person-years; HR 0.64).

“Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors may reduce the risk for gout among adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus, although future studies are necessary to confirm this observation,” the researchers concluded.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:
Fralick M, Chen SK, Patorno E, Kim SC. Assessing the risk for gout with sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes: a population-based cohort study [Published online January 14, 2020]. Ann Intern Med. doi:10.7326/M19-2610.