SGLT2 inhibitors reduce burden of recurrent gout flares in diabetes patients: JAMA

Gout management is a posing threat though several efficacious pharmacologic regimens are available, many patients with gout continue to experience recurrent gout flares. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have been associated with a lower risk of incident gout. Current rheumatology guidelines recommend that patients with gout receive long-term therapy for lowering of urate levels (ULT) to achieve crystal dissolution, ultimately preventing recurrent gout flares.

In a cohort study of 5931 patients with gout and type 2 diabetes, initiation of SGLT2i treatment was associated with 19% fewer recurrent gout flares and 29% lower mortality than initiation of active comparator treatments. These findings suggest that SGLT2i is an effective way to reduce the burden of recurrent gout flares and narrow the mortality gap between patients with gout and the general population. The findings of the study are published in JAMA Network.

To examine the association researchers designed a population studyevaluating SGLT2i vs active comparators (ie, glucagonlike peptide-1 receptor agonists [GLP-1 RA] or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors [DPP-4i]) with the risk of recurrent gout flares and all-cause mortality among patients with gout and type 2 diabetes.

The population-based retrospective cohort study was performed from January 1, 2013, to March 31, 2022, using a UK primary care database. Participants included patients with gout and type 2 diabetes with visits to their general practitioners. The primary outcome was the number of recurrent gout flares ascertained using recorded codes and prescription records. Secondary outcomes were the first recurrent gout flare and all-cause mortality. The association of SGLT2i compared with active comparators for the risk of recurrent flares, the first recurrent flare, and all-cause mortality was assessed using Poisson regression or the Cox proportional hazards model with propensity score overlap weighting.

The key findings of the study are

• A total of 5931 patients included in the analysis (mean [SD] age, 66.0 [11.6] years; 4604 [77.6%] men), 1548 initiated SGLT2i treatment and 4383 initiated treatment with active comparators during the study period.

• The relative rate of the recurrent flares with SGLT2i vs active comparators was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.65-0.97).

• Similar results were observed in the association of SGLT2i with the rate of recurrent flares when compared with DPP-4i or GLP-1 RA.

• For the first recurrent flare for SGLT2i vs active comparators, rate difference was −8.8 (95% CI, −17.2 to −0.4) per 1000 person-years and the hazard ratio was 0.81 (95% CI, 0.65-0.98).

• All-cause mortality per 1000 person-years was 18.8 for SGLT2i and 24.9 for active comparators, with rate difference of −6.1 (95% CI, −10.6 to −1.6) per 1000 person-years and hazard ratio of 0.71 (95% CI, 0.52-0.97).

Researchers concluded that “The findings of this cohort study suggest that SGLT2i were associated with a lower risk of recurrent gout flares and mortality than their active comparators in patients with gout and type 2 diabetes. These findings further suggest that SGLT2i could help reduce the burden of recurrent gout flares and could also narrow the mortality gap between patients with gout and the general population.”

Reference: Wei J, Choi HK, Dalbeth N, et al. Gout Flares and Mortality After Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitor Treatment for Gout and Type 2 Diabetes. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(8):e2330885. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.30885.