Risk of Urinary Tract Infections in Male Veterans With Diabetes Prescribed Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors Versus Sulfonylureas Across the Veterans Health Administration

Abstract

Background: Due to their mechanism of action, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) carry a presumed increased risk of urinary tract infection (UTI) which is reflected in current prescribing data. As SGLT2i prescribing trends increase, some retrospective studies confirm an increased risk of UTI while conflicting studies find no increased risk of UTI associated with this therapy. Objectives: This study aims to compare the odds of developing a UTI in male Veterans with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on metformin taking a SGLT2i vs a sulfonylurea (SU) within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Methods: This retrospective cohort study identified male Veterans with T2DM on metformin with a new fill of SGLT2i or SU between January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022. Patients were then assessed for UTI diagnosis. An adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was calculated. Results: The SGLT2i cohort had 5.2% of patients diagnosed with outpatient UTI and 1.6% of patients diagnosed with inpatient UTI. The SU cohort had 5.3% of patients diagnosed with outpatient UTI and 1.3% of patients diagnosed with inpatient UTI. A logistic regression analysis resulted in a decreased odds of diagnosis of outpatient UTI in the SGLT2i cohort vs the SU cohort ([AOR] = 0.91, 95% CI [0.86 – 0.96], P-value = < 0.001), and no difference in the diagnosis of inpatient UTI ([AOR] = 1.06, 95% CI [0.96 – 1.18], P-value = 0.234). Conclusion: This retrospective study of national VHA data adds to growing literature which finds no excessive risk of UTI associated with SGLT2i therapies.