Safety of diabetes drugs in patients with heart failure

Rev Clin Esp (Barc). 2018 Mar;218(2):98-107. doi: 10.1016/j.rce.2017.07.007. Epub 2017 Aug 30.
[Article in English, Spanish]

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) and diabetes mellitus are 2 clinical conditions that often coexist, particularly in patients older than 65 years. Diabetes mellitus promotes the development of HF and confers a poorer prognosis. Hypoglycaemic agents (either by their mechanism of action, hypoglycaemic action or adverse effects) can be potentially dangerous for patients with HF. In this study, we performed a review of the available evidence on the safety of diabetes drugs in HF, focused on the main observational and experimental studies. Recent studies on cardiovascular safety have evaluated, although as a secondary objective, the impact of new hypoglycaemic agents on HF, helping us understand the neutrality, risks and potential benefits of these agents.

Keywords: Cardiovascular safety; Diabetes; Diabetes drugs; Fármacos antidiabéticos; Heart failure; Insuficiencia cardiaca; Seguridad cardiovascular.