Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors and Diabetic-Ketoacidosis in T2DM Patients: An Updated Meta-Analysis and a Mendelian Randomization Analysis

Abstract

To evaluate the association of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients across different subgroups, we searched randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing SGLT2i with the control groups among T2DM patients and including DKA as a safety outcome. Pooled risk ratios (RRs) were calculated using random or fixed-effects models, as appropriate. An inverse–variance-weighted Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed to estimate the genetic correlation. Twenty-two trials involving 80,235 patients were included. SGLT2i increased the risk of DKA compared to the control groups (RR 2.32, 95% CI 1.64–3.27). The risk was significantly increased in patients with higher HbA1c levels (> 7.9%) (RR 2.24, 95% CI 1.59–3.14), but not in those with lower HbA1c levels (≤ 7.9%) (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.49–2.26; interaction P = 0.034). SGLT2i increased DKA risk in chronic kidney disease (CKD) (RR 2.70, 95% CI 1.55–4.71) and high atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk trials (RR 2.46, 95% CI 1.47–4.11) but not significantly in heart failure (HF) trials (RR 1.23, 95% CI 0.51–2.96). Moreover, in the HF trials, SGLT2i consistently did not increase the risk of DKA in any clinical subgroups. Nevertheless, MR analysis still confirmed a genetic association between SGLT2i and the risk of DKA among overall T2DM patients. SGLT2i may increase the risk of DKA in T2DM patients, particularly in patients with higher levels of HbA1c and those with comorbid CKD or at high-risk ASCVD. However, the increased risk was not significant in patients with HF.