Endocrine Abstracts

Aim

Study the efficacy of empagliflozin effects on main cardiovascular risk factors in non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients with normal and excessive body weight.

Objectives

60 patients with type 2 diabetes who have been taking metformin for at least 6 months but haven’t reached the target level of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), as well as 10 healthy individuals were examined. Depending on the prescribed treatment patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly split into 4 groups: IA and IIA – patients with normal body weight, IB and IIB – overweight patients. IA and IIA patients took individual doses of metformin, IB and IIB patients took empagliflozin at a dose of 10 mg/day in addition to metformin.

Results

After a 6-month course of treatment, the dynamics of blood pressure (BP) has become more pronounced due to the complex treatment as compared with basic therapy. Systolic BP has decreased by 11.82% (P < 0.05) in IB group and by 12.4% (P < 0.05) – in IIB group, diastolic BP has decreased by 8.15% (P < 0.05) and 8.3% (P < 0.05) respectively. The treatment has resulted in a positive dynamics of carbohydrate metabolism, which was statistically more significant in patients of IB and IIB groups than in IA and IIA groups: fasting glycaemia in patients of IB group has decreased by 27.19% (P < 0.05), the level of HbA1c – by 10.13% (P < 0.05), in patients of IIB group – by 16.28% (P < 0.05) and 11.1% (P < 0.05), respectively. In our opinion, a statistically significant (P < 0.05) decrease of HOMA IR index by 41.9% in patients of IIB group is of great importance, in other groups no statistically significant changes have been found. During treatment no statistically significant decrease in body mass index (BMI) was observed in patients of IA, IIA and IB groups, while in patients of IIB group this index has decreased significantly (P < 0.05) from 27.82 ± 0.35 up to 25.1 ± 0.50 kg/m². Statistically significant effect of empagliflozin on leptin levels has been revealed. It has decreased by 29% (P < 0.05) in patients with normal BMI in IB group, and by 39.5% (P < 0.05) – in the group of overweight patients (IIB). Patients not taking empagliflozin haven’t presented any statistically significant dynamics of leptin levels.

Conclusions

Empagliflozin has a significant effect on the main cardiovascular risk factors: it helps to reduce body weight, waist circumference, BP, leptin levels, carbohydrate metabolism and insulin resistance.