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Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors used to deal with sort 2 diabetes are related to an 11% decrease danger of autoimmune rheumatic illnesses, corresponding to rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, in contrast with one other group of diabetes medicine referred to as sulfonylureas, finds a examine from South Korea revealed in The BMJ.
Autoimmune rheumatic illnesses happen when the physique mistakenly assaults its personal wholesome tissues, resulting in irritation and injury to joints, pores and skin, muscle groups, and different organs. Widespread circumstances embody rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and scleroderma.
Earlier research have proven that SGLT-2 inhibitors can inhibit the physique’s immune response, however whether or not these results are clinically significant stays unclear.
To deal with this, researchers used the Korea Nationwide Well being Insurance coverage Service database to investigate 2,032,157 adults with sort 2 diabetes (common age 59; 60% males) who began taking both an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a sulfonylurea from 2012 to 2022.
Doubtlessly influential components corresponding to age, intercourse, revenue stage, current circumstances and drug remedies, well being care use, and life-style components have been taken into consideration, and two management outcomes (genital infections and herpes zoster) have been additionally included to evaluate the danger of bias.
A complete of 790 members taking SGLT-2 inhibitors and 840 members taking sulfonylureas have been newly identified with autoimmune rheumatic illness. Over a median follow-up interval of 9 months, SGLT-2 inhibitors have been related to an 11% decrease danger of autoimmune rheumatic illnesses in contrast with sulfonylureas, with incidence charges per 100,000 person-years of 52 and 58, respectively.
Findings have been largely constant amongst subgroups analyzed by age, intercourse, sort of SGLT-2 inhibitor, baseline heart problems, and weight problems standing. The outcomes for management outcomes additionally advised that bias was probably minimal.
That is an observational examine, so no agency conclusions will be drawn about trigger and impact, and the authors acknowledge that follow-up was comparatively quick, and different unmeasured components could have affected the outcomes.
Nonetheless, they are saying this was a big examine that utilized rigorous strategies to nationwide knowledge, and as such, these outcomes counsel that SGLT-2 inhibitors could contribute to decreasing the danger of autoimmune illnesses.
“However, this potential benefit should be carefully weighed against known adverse events and concerns about tolerability,” they write. “Replication in other populations and settings, as well as studies in patients with existing autoimmune rheumatic diseases, are warranted to confirm and extend these observations.”
Whereas in isolation, this examine is unlikely to alter follow. Nonetheless, it’s the first full-length publication to counsel that SGLT-2 inhibitors scale back the danger of autoimmune rheumatic illnesses, say researchers from Canada in a linked editorial.
Though this intriguing discovering warrants replication in several populations, this examine “sets a foundation for future research and provides preliminary evidence to support an additional reason to use an SGLT-2 inhibitor over a sulfonylurea for the management of type 2 diabetes,” they conclude.
Extra info:
Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and danger of autoimmune rheumatic illnesses: inhabitants primarily based cohort examine, The BMJ (2025). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.r2121
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British Medical Journal
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SGLT-2 diabetes medicine linked to decrease danger of autoimmune illnesses (2025, October 15)
retrieved 16 October 2025
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