2023 Volume 49 Issue 9 Pages 321-330
SGLT2 inhibitors are novel diabetes drugs with a wide variety of effects. In this mini-review, a case is presented and the multifaceted effects of SGLT2 inhibitors are discussed in the literature, including my findings on blood-urine electrolyte dynamics and blood gas analysis. The case is a 38-year-old male. He was diagnosed with hypertension and obesity during a routine medical checkup at his company and visited our internal medicine department. After close examination, he was found to have diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, hyperuricemia, abnormal liver function, and sleep-apnea syndrome. After about 6 months, most of the above conditions were under control: weight decreased, blood pressure decreased, the HbA1c level and liver function abnormalities improved, LDL-cholesterol level tended to decrease, and uric acid level decreased. Creatinine levels remained unchanged. Serum electrolytes showed an increase in chloride, but no consistent trend in sodium and potassium. Plasma renin activity increased initially and decreased thereafter. Plasma aldosterone levels decreased. The sympathetic nervous system was not activated. Future studies are required to further elucidate the mechanism of action of SGLT2 inhibitors in various pathological conditions.
