Evaluation of SGLT-2 inhibitor treatment in type 2 diabetes patients with very high cardiovascular risk

AIMS: To evaluate whether the prescription of SGLT2-inhibitors in primary care patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and a very high risk was according to the newest updated Dutch general practitioners' practice guidelines on T2DM.

METHODS: This observational study with routine care data was conducted in a primary care setting in the Netherlands. The very high-risk population size was identified and analyzed via descriptive statistics. In this high-risk group the percentage of patients treated with SGLT2-inhibitors was assessed.

RESULTS: Of the 1492 T2DM patients managed in primary care, 475 (31.8%) were classified as very high-risk based on (a history of) ischemic cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and/or heart failure. Of the very high-risk patients, 49 (10.3%) received SGLT2-inhibitors conform the guidelines. Of the remaining 426 high-risk patients 334 (70.3%) had no contraindication (eGFR <30 ml/min/1.73 m 2 or HbA1c <53 mmol/mol) for initiating SGLT2-i prescription according to the guidelines. None of these patients received an GLP-1 agonist as alternative.

CONCLUSIONS: The vast majority of very high-risk type 2 diabetes patients were not prescribed SGLT2-I. There is substantial room for improvement in the management of these critical T2DM patients because most of them had no contraindications for initiating SGLT2-I prescription.