GLP-1RAs, SGLT2is Cut Risk of Future MI, Stroke in Survivors: Daily Dose

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Patient Care brings primary care clinicians a lot of medical news every day—it’s easy to miss an important study. The Daily Dose provides a concise summary of one of the website's leading stories you may not have seen.

On November 11, 2024, we reported on research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2024 that was designed to examine the efficacy of sodium glucose contransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) or a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) initiation in reducing mortality or cardiovascular events in stroke survivors.

The study

Researchers tapped health data for 7044 adults admitted to a hospital for acute ischemic stroke between January 2000 and June 2022 in the Rochester Epidemiology Project, a databased collaboration among medical facilities in the Mayo Clinic health systems in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Participants were an average age of 72 years; 52% of the cohort were men; 94% self-identified as White, 1.5% as Black, adults, 1.5% as Asian adults and 3% identified as adults of “other” race.

The findings

Over a 3-year follow-up period, researchers reported a 74% lower risk of death and an 84% lower risk of MI among participants taking either a GLP-1RA or an SGLT2i. Among those taking an SGLT2i, there was a 67% reduced risk of recurrent stroke. The diminished risk remained after multivariable adjustment for age, sex, smoking status, hypertension and diabetes status, lipid disorder, kidney disease, and history of either MI or heart failure.

Authors' comment

“The results of the study are consistent with other research about the preventive role of these medications against cardiovascular disease in people with obesity or heart failure.”

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