The authors concluded their research by calculating an E-value for effects estimate of 2.50 for the primary outcome of gout rates in adults newly prescribed an SGLT2 inhibitor and those newly prescribed a GLP1 agonist. They balanced this calculation against an analysis of the incidence of hospitalization for heart failure, for which they calculated an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.63 for hospitalization for heart failure among patients prescribed SGLT2 inhibitors vs. those prescribed GLP1 agonists.
In their discussion, the authors emphasize that because their study focused on patients with no history of gout, it will be important to repeat the analysis for patients with a higher baseline risk of gout to better understand whether the magnitude of potential benefit can be generalized to the larger population.
Lara C. Pullen, PhD, is a medical writer based in the Chicago area.
Reference
- Fralick M, Chen SK, Patorno E, et al. Assessing the risk for gout with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes: A population-based cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2020 Jan 14. [Epub ahead of print]
