This ANMCO (Associazione Nazionale Medici Cardiologi Ospedalieri) position paper aims to analyse the complex action of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors at the level of the kidney and cardiovascular system, focusing on the effect that these molecules have shown in the prevention and treatment of heart failure in diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. The goal was pursued by comparing the data generated with pathophysiology studies and with multicentre controlled studies in large populations. In accordance with the analysis carried out in the document, the following recommendations are issued: (i) canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, empagliflozin, and ertugliflozin are molecules recommended for the prevention of heart failure hospitalizations in type 2 diabetic subjects; (ii) canagliflozin and dapagliflozin are recommended for the prevention of heart failure hospitalizations in type 2 diabetic subjects with severe chronic kidney disease, dapagliflozin proved to be safe and effective also in diabetic subjects; and (iii) dapagliflozin and empagliflozin are recommended to reduce the combined risk of heart failure and cardiovascular death in diabetic and non-diabetic subjects with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction.
Keywords: Cardiovascular death; Heart failure; Renal function; Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors; Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. © The Author(s) 2021.