Use of SGLT2 inhibitors after bariatric/metabolic surgery: Risk/benefit balance

Abstract

Bariatric/metabolic surgery and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) are becoming increasingly popular for the management of overweight/obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Consequently, the chance that a patient undergoing bariatric/metabolic surgery is also treated with an SGLT2i would be rather common in clinical practice. Both risks and benefits have been reported. On the one hand, several cases of euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis have been reported within the few days/weeks after bariatric/metabolic surgery. The causes are diverse but a drastic reduction in caloric (carbohydrate) intake most probably plays a crucial role. Thus, SGLT2is should be stopped a few days (and even more if a pre-operative restricted diet is prescribed to reduce liver volume) before the intervention and reintroduced only when the caloric (carbohydrate) intake is sufficient. On the other hand, SGLT2is may exert a favorable effect to reduce the risk of postprandial hypoglycemia, a complication reported among patients who have been treated with bariatric/metabolic surgery. An increased hepatic glucose production and a reduced production of interleukin-1β have been proposed as possible underlying mechanisms for this protective effect. Finally, whether SGLT2is could prolong diabetes remission following surgery and improve the prognosis of patients with T2DM who benefit from bariatric/metabolic surgery remains to be investigated.