SGLT2 Inhibitors, but Not GLP-1 Receptor Agonists, Reduce Incidence of Gout in People Living With Type 2 Diabetes Across the Therapeutic Spectrum

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the relative association between sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1Ra) with the incidence of gout in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) using real-world data.

Methods: We conducted a cohort study using data from TriNetX (an international federated database). We included patients commenced on metformin or insulin, either alone or with an SGLT2i or GLP-1Ra, at least 2 years prior to date of analysis. We propensity score matched (PSM) (1:1) for 26 relevant characteristics. Time to event analysis was performed to assess the incidence of gout, all-cause mortality (positive control), and herpes zoster infection (negative control) at 5 years following drug initiation.

Findings: Prior to PSM, the cohort numbers were as follows: metformin control, 1,111,449; SGLT2i with metformin, 101,706; GLP-1Ra with metformin, 110,180, insulin control, 1,398,066; SGLT2i with insulin, 68,697; and GLP-1Ra with insulin, 99,693. SGLT2i with metformin demonstrated a statistically significant decreased incidence of gout at 5 years compared to the metformin control cohort (HR 0.75 [95% CI 0.69-0.82], P < 0.0001). Similarly, SGLT2i with insulin demonstrated a statistically significant decreased incidence of gout at 5 years compared to the insulin control cohort (HR 0.83 [95% CI 0.74-0.92], P < 0.0001). Conversely, no significant disparity in gout incidence was observed between the use of GLP-1Ra and matched controls. Subgroup analysis showed an associated reduced incidence of gout with SGLT2i use compared to GLP-1Ra, in groups using metformin (HR 0.77 [95% CI 0.70-0.86], P < 0.0001) or insulin (HR 0.82 [95% CI 0.73-0.91)], P < 0.0001).

Implications: In this large-scale real-world study, SGLT2i use was associated with a lower incidence of gout in patients with T2D compared to both insulin and metformin controls. These findings suggest the potential of SGLT2i as a promising therapeutic option for treating gout in this population.

Keywords: Extraglycemic effects; GLP-1Ra; Gout; Insulin; Metformin; SGLT2i.