Cardiology Letters 2021, 30(5):260-266

Cardio-renal benefit of GLP-1 receptor agonists

Murín J

I. interná klinika LF UK a UN Bratislava, Slovenská republika

Diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMt2) is a systemic disease with many comorbidities (hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity) and serious micro- and macro- vascular complications (rehospitalization, invalidization, bad quality of life, increased morbidity and mortality) which are present very soon after discovery of the disease. This paper presents clinical aspects of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA): reduction of glycaemia with low incidence of hypoglycaemic events, improvement of insulin sensitivity, slowdown of gastric emptying, potentiation of satiety in the central nervous system and increased proliferation of beta-cells in the pancreas. New data: increased production of NO in endothelium, support for vasoregulation, inhibition of atherosclerosis, improvement of heart function, neuroprotection, reduction of vascular inflammation, reduction of platelet activation. Presented are important clinical trials with cardiovascular (CV) benefit: reduction of major CV events of 12% - 26%, reduction of stroke events of 24% - 39%; and in the PIONEER-6 trial there was a CV and all-cause mortality reduction of 50%, which stimulated the start of the SOUL trial with peroral semaglutide. Tab. 2, Ref. 71, on-line full text (Free, PDF) www.cardiologyletters.sk GLP-1 RA have a correct place in the treatment of DMt2; this treatment improves prognosis of patients and should be started in the early stages of the disease. The treatment is safe.

Keywords: diabetes mellitus type 2; GLP-1 receptor agonist; cardiovascular benefit of GLP-1 receptor

Published: May 1, 2021  Show citation