Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors reduce hospitalization for HF and cardiovascular death but increase risk for genital infections, according to a review published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Investigators conducted a systematic review of trials in which adults with HF were randomly assigned to SGLT2 inhibitors or control. SGLT2 inhibitors reduced HF hospitalizations by 37%, 32%, and 26% at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years, respectively, and yielded a 14% reduction in cardiovascular death at 1 year. However, risk for genital infections increased more than two-fold with SGLT2 inhibitors (risk ratio, 2.69; high certainty).
