Background Dyslipidemia is common in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and contributes to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Previous studies have shown that treatment with thiazolidinediones (TZDs) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2-i) may help to improve dyslipidemia in T2D patients. In this study, we investigated whether patients treated with TZD and SGLT2-i showed greater improvement in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels than those treated with only SGLT2-i.
Methods From the National Health Insurance Service database of Korea, we extracted all patients who first received SGTL2-i from 2014 to 2016. Propensity score matching was performed to balance the two groups: group A (SGTL2-i and TZD, regardless of other antidiabetic medications) and group B (SGTL2-i only without TZD, regardless of other antidiabetic medications). Posttreatment HDL-C levels were compared by the Student t-test.
Results In total, 1,400 T2D patients (700 in each group) were matched by propensity score matching. There was a significant posttreatment increase in HDL-C in group A (49.54±20.03 to 51.6±12.92 mg/dL, P=0.007), but not in group B (49.14±13.52 to 49.1±2.15 mg/dL, P=0.937). Group A also showed significantly higher posttreatment HDL-C levels than group B (51.4±12.92 vs. 49.1±12.15 mg/dL, P<0.001). Regarding the secondary endpoints, posttreatment triglyceride levels were lower (P<0.001), but total cholesterol (P=0.131) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (P=0.054) were not different after treatment.
Conclusions The combination of SGTL2-i and TZD may be more effective in ameliorating dyslipidemia in T2D patients than SGLT2-i alone. However, further studies are needed to confirm this finding.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex disorder and is associated with an increased risk for developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Control of major risk factors of T2DM can reduce major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients. Glycemic control has long been the gold standard for treatment of T2DM. However, strict blood glucose control strategies have repeatedly failed in the prevention of cardiovascular events in key clinical trials. The 2019 American and European practice guidelines for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients with T2DM have recommended the use of novel hypoglycemic agents, such as sodium glucose transporter 2 inhibitors and glucagonlike peptide-1 receptor antagonist, which have shown significant reductions in the risk of MACE in spite of their modest glycemic control capacity. A paradigm shift from the glucosecentered approach in treating diabetic patients with cardiovascular disease is imperative. Based on positive outcomes from previous evidence, the reduction of the risk of MACE should be a primary objective for treatment.