Abstract
Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors are the only medications that improve clinical outcomes regardless of baseline left ventricular ejection fraction. Despite the recognized effectiveness of SGLT-2 inhibitors, there remains a paucity of research on the discontinuation of these medications. The objective of this study is to analyze the rate of discontinuation of SGLT-2 inhibitors, to evaluate the impact of discontinuation on the clinical outcome, and to identify the factors associated with discontinuation. From 2015 to 2021, 775 heart failure patients prescribed an SGLT-2 inhibitor were retrospectively collated at Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea. The SGLT-2 inhibitor discontinuation rate and the effect of SGLT-2 inhibitor discontinuation on clinical outcome were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier survival curve. Factors related to discontinuation were analyzed through Cox regression and competing risk survival analysis. The discontinuation rate of SGLT-2 inhibitors was 7.5% at 1 year and 20% at 5 years. General weakness, over-diuresis and volume depletion, renal dysfunction progression, and urinary tract infections are the major reasons for discontinuing SGLT-2 inhibitors in general medical practice. The group that stopped using SGLT-2 inhibitors had a higher rate of heart failure hospitalization than the control group (adjusted HR 2.600, 95% CI [1.233-5.481], P = 0.012). In multivariable Cox regression analysis, the factors associated with total SGLT-2 inhibitor discontinuation were women (HR 2.478, 95% CI [1.553-3.953], P < 0.001) and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (HR 0.884 per 10 ml/min/1.73 m(2), 95% CI [0.789-0.991], P = 0.034). Patients who discontinued SGLT-2 inhibitors experienced an increased risk of heart failure hospitalization, and the rate of discontinuation was higher in women and those with lower eGFR.