SGLT-2 inhibitors linked lower risk for autoimmune rheumatic diseases compared with sulfonylureas
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Oct. 23, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors are associated with a reduced risk for autoimmune rheumatic diseases compared with sulfonylureas among adults with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online Oct. 15 in The BMJ.
Bin Hong, from Sungkyunkwan University in the Republic of Korea, and colleagues examined use of SGLT-2 inhibitors and the risk for autoimmune rheumatic diseases in a retrospective cohort study involving 2,032,157 adults with type 2 diabetes from a nationwide health care database in South Korea.
After propensity score weighting, the analysis included 1,030,088 SGLT-2 inhibitor initiators and 1,002,069 sulfonylurea initiators. The researchers found that the weighted incidence rate was 51.90 and 58.41 per 100,000 person-years in individuals initiating SGLT-2 inhibitors and sulfonylureas, respectively. SGLT-2 inhibitors were associated with a significantly lower risk for incident autoimmune rheumatic diseases compared with sulfonylureas during a median follow-up of nine months (hazard ratio, 0.89). Among subgroups stratified by age, sex, type of SGLT-2 inhibitor, baseline cardiovascular disease, and obesity status, the findings were consistent overall. For the positive and negative control outcomes of genital infections and herpes zoster, the hazard ratios were 2.78 and 1.03, respectively.
“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,” the authors write.
One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
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