University of Dundee,University of Liverpool

Academic Institute

Ewan PearsonHuan WangReecha Sofat

No

CCU053

The medications called Sodium glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) were developed as a diabetes drug but are now being used in people without diabetes who have heart failure or kidney disease. In people with diabetes, infection with COVID-19 increases the risk of a severe diabetic illness called Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA). When this happens, harmful substances called ketones build up in the body, which can be life-threatening if this is not found and treated quickly. SGLT2i also increase the risk of DKA in people with diabetes and advice was issued that these drugs should be stopped in COVID-19 infection. However, SGLT2i may also be beneficial and improve COVID outcomes and were added as a treatment arm in the Randomised Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapY (RECOVERY) trial last year. There is a need to understand what happened to SGLT2i prescribing during the COVID pandemic and whether it was associated with adverse outcomes like DKA or improved COVID outcomes. This project will evaluate the risk of DKA in patients treated with SGLT2i and the contribution of COVID-19 infection to this risk. We will also evaluate the real-world outcomes of COVID-19 infection in patients treated with SGLT2i. This will complement the RECOVERY trial which will not be powered to evaluate DKA risk.

This project will inform on policy in relation to SGLT2i use in people with and without diabetes who develop COVID-19 infection.

29/11/2022

De-Personalised

TRE