Impact of glp-1 receptor agonists on hospitalization for heart failure and all-cause death in patients with diabetes with and without heart failure: a real-world study.

OBJECTIVE

Evidence on the impact of GLP-1 RAs on HF hospitalization (HHF) and mortality has been inconsistent across clinical trials in patients with diabetes. We investigated the association between GLP-1 RAs and these outcomes in a real-world setting.

METHODS

We selected individuals aged 45 years and older already treated with metformin living in Lombardy, Italy, and then split them into two groups if they initiated GLP-1 RAs or other antidiabetic drugs, between 2019 and 2021. A multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression model was performed to assess the association of GLP-1 RAs on HHF and all-cause death as hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CI compared to the Other ADs group, stratifying by history of HF. The role of GLP-1 RAs was also investigated using the Inverse Probability Treatment Weighting (IPTW) and in the subgroup analyses.

RESULTS

In total, 9795 patients in the GLP-1 RAs group (302 with HF; 9493 without) and 6018 in the Other ADs group (405 with HF; 5613 without) were included in the analysis. GLP-1 RAs use was significantly associated with a lower risk of HHF in patients with a history of HF (HR 0.65; CI 95% 0.426-0.987) and in those without (HR 0.52; CI 95% 0.371-0.733). A lower risk for all-cause death was also observed in GLP-1 RAs users (with HF: HR 0.45; CI 95% 0.320-0.638; without HF: HR 0.44; CI 95% 0.383-0.514). The results of the IPTW and subgroup analyses confirmed those of the main analysis.

CONCLUSION

Our findings showed a benefit of GLP-1 RAs on HHF and all-cause death in patients with diabetes regardless of HF history. Although, our study presents several limitations, if confirmed through dedicated randomized trial, this could further expand the role of GLP-1RAs in cardiovascular prevention".