Abstract
BACKGROUND: While the kidney-protective effects of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have attracted much attention, there are limited real-world clinical data examining the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on kidney function in older individuals. We aimed to compare the kidney outcomes between SGLT2 inhibitor and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitor use in older adults with diabetes. METHODS: Using a nationwide claims database, we studied 6354 older adults (≥60 years of age) who had diabetes and were newly initiated on SGLT2 inhibitors or DPP4 inhibitors. A 1:4 propensity score matching algorithm was used to compare changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between SGLT2 inhibitor and DPP4 inhibitor users. The primary outcome was a decrease in the rate of eGFR, which was obtained using a linear mixed-effects model with an unstructured covariance. RESULTS: Following propensity score matching, 6354 individuals including 1271 SGLT2 inhibitor users and 5083 DPP4 inhibitor users {median age 68 years [interquartile range (IQR) 65-70], male 60.4%, median eGFR 69.0 ml/min/1.73 m2 [IQR 59.1-79.0], median haemoglobin A1c [HbA1c] 6.9% [IQR 6.5-7.4]} were analysed. SGLT2 inhibitor users had a slower eGFR decline than did DPP4 inhibitor users [-0.97 ml/min/1.73 m2/year (95% CI -1.24 to -0.70) versus -1.83 ml/min/1.73 m2/year (95% CI -1.97 to -1.69); P for interaction <.001]. This finding remained consistent across subgroups based on age, sex, body mass index, HbA1c level, renin-angiotensin system inhibitor use and baseline eGFR. Additionally, the risk of a ≥20%, ≥30% and ≥40% decrease in eGFR from baseline was significantly lower in SGLT2 inhibitor users than in DPP4 inhibitor users. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis, utilizing a nationwide epidemiological dataset, demonstrated that the decrease in eGFR was slower in individuals ≥60 years of age with diabetes who were prescribed SGLT2 inhibitors compared with those prescribed DPP4 inhibitors, suggesting a potential advantage of SGLT2 inhibitors for kidney outcomes even in older individuals with diabetes.