Helping type 2 diabetes patients using therapies to reduce blood glucose

This pilot study, supported by the Medical and Life Sciences Research Fund and being carried out by Dr Hejie He, Clinical Research Fellow and his team at the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, will analyse multiple parameters in type 2 diabetes patients having Sodium Glucose Co-Transporter (SGLT-2) therapy.

There are a variety of medications for type 2 diabetes, one of which is an SGLT-2 inhibitor. This drug acts by preventing the kidneys from reabsorbing sugars, specifically glucose when the blood and toxins are normally being filtered by the kidneys. This reduces the amount of glucose in the blood and therefore helps with diabetes.

The body’s control mechanism for the heart (the autonomic nervous system) can be affected by diabetes and metabolic syndrome. If this control system is disturbed it puts patients at risk of heart rhythm disturbances, heart failure and stroke.

If the team find significant improvements in autonomic function in their group of patients it will suggest that autonomic dysfunction is a significant mechanism in heart disease in diabetic patients and that SGLT-2 inhibitors may reduce this risk significantly. This could add weight to recommending these types of medications to specifically reduce heart disease in diabetic patients.