Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors & glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, efficacy & safety in diabetic kidney transplant recipients

Abstract

Introduction: Cardiovascular and renal complications define the outcomes of diabetic kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). The new diabetes medications have changed the management of diabetes. However, transplant physicians are still reluctant to use sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) post kidney transplantation due to fear of drug related complications and lack of established guidelines.

Patients and methods: We collected 1-year follow-up data from records of 98 diabetic KTRs on SGLT2I, 41 on GLP- 1RA and 70 on standard-of-care medicines. Patients were more than 3 months post-transplant with a minimum estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 25 ml/min/1.73 m² . Demographic data were similar except for a slightly lower HbA1c in the control group and higher albuminuria in SGLT2i group.

Results: HbA1c dropped significantly by .4% in both SGLT2i and GLP-1RA compared to .05% in the control group. A significant decrease in BMI by .32 in SGLT2i and .34 in GLP-1RA was observed compared to an increase by .015 in control group. A tendency for better eGFR in study groups was observed but was non-significant except for the SGLT2i group with an eGFR above 90 (p = .0135). The usual dip in eGFR was observed in the SGLT2i group at 1-3 months. Albuminuria was significantly reduced in both study groups. Adverse events were minimal with comparable safety in all groups.

Conclusion: The use of SGLT2i and GLP-1RA appears to be effective and safe in diabetic KTRs with good outcomes. Randomized control trials are required to confirm these findings and establish guidelines.

Keywords: diabetes; glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA); kidney transplantation; outcome; sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i).