medwireNews: New users of sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT)2 inhibitors are more likely to develop retinal vein occlusion (RVO) than those initiating other glucose-lowering drugs, suggest results from a South Korean study.
“These findings are relevant because of the common prescription of SGLT2 inhibitors and the importance of this outcome for patients,” say Hyuk-Sang Kwon (The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul) and colleagues, noting that RVO “is the second most common cause of vision loss after diabetic retinopathy.”
During a mean 2.57 years of follow-up, the investigators observed 248 RVO events among the 47,369 new users of SGLT2 inhibitors included in the study, and 232 events among the same number of matched individuals using other agents. This corresponded to incidence rates of 2.19 and 1.79 per 1000 person–years, respectively, and a significant hazard ratio (HR) of 1.26.
In subgroup analyses, the researchers found that SGLT2 inhibitor use was significantly associated with RVO risk in people aged 60 years or older (HR=1.52), but not in younger individuals. Similarly, the association was significant in people with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) lower than 60 mL/min per 1.73m2 (HR=3.13), but not in those with higher eGFR.
“SGLT2 inhibitors should be used with caution in consideration of the risk of RVO, especially in older patients with impaired renal function,” concludes the team in Diabetes Care.
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