During the ESC Heart Failure Congress 2016, held in Florence, Italy, PACE-CME organised a satellite symposium on diabetes and heart failure, two debilitating diseases, that aggravate each other when they coexist.

In his presentation professor Sattar. explained the thoughts about the proposed mechanism of action of empagliflozin before, and after the EMPA REG trial

SGLT2 is a glucose transporter and SGLT2 inhibitors can improve glycaemic control. They block kidney reabsorption of filtered glucose and thereby reduce blood glucose levels. So far, only one clinical trial evaluating SGLT2 inhibitor results on CV outcome has been published10. This trial is called the EMPA REG OUTCOME trial in which empagliflozin is evaluated.

The number of acute and chronic HF patients with diabetes (DM) increased tremendously over the last decade. The prevalence of DM in these patients now ranges between 13 and 47% and is even higher in HF patients with preserved ejection fraction (25-33%). Both diseases are deleterious, and prognosis is even worse when the two co-exist. ‘Diabetes and heart failure are fatal twins’, states professor Voors.