Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) are a frequent complication for elderly patients with heart failure. Non-cardiovascular hospitalizations, including respiratory infections, cause around 50% of the hospitalizations in heart failure patients, making them comparable to cardiovascular hospitalizations in terms of health and resource use impact. However, little is known about the causes and associated prognosis of non-cardiovascular hospitalizations in patients with heart failure.
Empagliflozin is a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, a class of medicines primarily used to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. In a recently completed study, Dr. João Pedro Ferreira and colleagues aimed to study the potential impact of empagliflozin on LRTI. The research team’s goal was to determine whether empagliflozin could reduce LRTI, due to its capacity to reduce oxidative stress and improve host defense mechanisms.
The research findings indicate that LRTI was frequent in the cohort of enrolled participants, and associated with a poor prognosis. The total number of LRTI events was reduced in the empagliflozin group, compared to placebo.
Using the Vivli platform enabled the research team to include previously unpublished data which were unavailable anywhere else. This research is another addition to the list of benefits of these SGLT2 inhibitor agents; Dr. Ferreira noted that, since heart failure exacerbations and respiratory infections often go “hand-in-hand”, showing that empagliflozin can reduce the incidence of these is good news for patients.
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Non cardiovascular hospitalizations in heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and the effect of empagliflozin (Vivli Data Request 8933)
Empagliflozin and risk of lower respiratory tract infection in heart failure with mildly reduced and preserved ejection fraction: An EMPEROR-Preserved analysis (European Journal of Heart Failure)