Certain treatments for type 2 diabetes can reduce the risk of recurrent kidney stones and gout attacks.
- Diabetes medications, called SGLT-2, can reduce the risk of kidney stones and gout.
- Diabetic participants taking SGLT-2 had a 33% reduction in kidney stone recurrence with this treatment, according to a new study.
- A similar decrease was observed for gout attacks.
“SGLT-2 for sodium-glucose cotransporter type 2 inhibitors”. Here are the names of medications for type 2 diabetes that could also relieve kidney stones and gout attacks in people with diabetes. As a reminder, these patients are at greater risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD), cardiovascular disease and inflammation such as gout.
Gout, kidney stones: comparing the effectiveness of three drugs against diabetes
SGLT-2 treatments had already shown their effectiveness for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. In a new study published in the journal British Medical Journal (BMJ), the researchers therefore wanted to test the effectiveness of taking SGLT-2 to reduce the risk of recurrence of kidney stones and gout attacks.
In this latter situation, Inflammation of a joint manifests itself as intense pain, such as a burning or grinding sensation. The joint is swollen, red, bulky and hot, depending on health insurance. As for the kidney stones, they can be asymptomatic and go away on their own. But, if they are significant and block the ducts, we speak of renal colic. This disease affects 10% of men and 5% of women, on average, in France, according to the Vidal.
In their work, the scientists compared SGLT-2 treatment to two other classes of diabetes medications: GLP-1 receptor agonists and DPP-4 inhibitors. To do this, they analyzed data from more than 20,000 adults with type 2 diabetes who had a history of kidney stones, gout or both. The participants, followed for approximately a year, had never taken the three treatments.
A 33% reduction in the recurrence rate of kidney stones after taking SGLT-2
The authors observed a 33% reduction in the rate of kidney stone recurrence in patients who took SGLT-2 and a similar reduction for gout attacks. The authors note that these benefits were also valid for the most affected participants, such as those who often needed hospital care for the treatment of their kidney stones. Thus, scientists believe that taking SGLT-2 could be beneficial for patients with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney failure or gout attacks.
