SGLT-2 inhibitors and dementia

Dementia remains a profound global health challenge. According to a report from the World Health Organization, more than 55 million people worldwide currently have dementia, and each year the disease is diagnosed in around 10 million people.1 This neurological disorder, characterised by the progressive deterioration of cognitive function, continues to elude effective treatment. Notably, type 2 diabetes is recognised as an important modifiable risk factor for dementia, contributing to both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.2 Recent evidence suggests that certain antidiabetic drugs, specifically sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors, may offer neuroprotective benefits beyond their glucose lowering effects, thereby adding a promising dimension to dementia prevention strategies.345

The linked study by Shin and colleagues (doi:10.1136/bmj-2024-079475) sheds light on this potential benefit by analysing data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service.6 These authors compared the risk of dementia associated with SGLT-2 inhibitors and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors in …