GLP-1 Evidence

Not medical advice. A record of published research and our assessments of it. The limits

Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors, Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists, and Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Type 2 Diabetes: A Population-Based Target Trial Emulation

Design
Retrospective cohort · 216293 participants · Hard outcome
Match to healthy normal-weight adults aged 55–75
Different population[Auto] Participants had type 2 diabetes (age/BMI not reported in abstract).
Could weight loss explain it?
Possibly[Auto] Participants had obesity and/or type 2 diabetes and the abstract does not separate direct drug effects from weight loss or glycaemic improvement.
Study tier
Study tier 3[Auto] Observational design; confounding by indication and healthy-user effects cannot be excluded (auto-provisional).
Assessment
Version 1 · automatic, not yet reviewed by a person · Sep 13, 2026

Study facts come from the paper. Population match, weight-loss explanation and study tier are our judgments, made against the reference group of healthy normal-weight adults aged 55–75.

[Auto, unreviewed; quoted from abstract conclusions] Among adults with type 2 diabetes, treatment strategies incorporating SGLT2i were associated with a lower risk of incident AF or atrial flutter than GLP-1RA without SGLT2i. These findings extend the cardiovascular evidence supporting SGLT2i and provide new comparative data regarding early combined use of SGLT2i and GLP-1RA.

01Findings

What the study reported

Drugs
Class unspecified
Primary outcome
Not extracted
Effect
Not extracted
95% confidence interval
Not extracted
Follow-up
5 years
Adverse events
Not extracted
Limitations
Auto-classified from abstract only; effect estimates, adverse events and limitations not extracted. Requires manual review.

Who was studied

Diabetes status
type 2 diabetes present (all or most)
Sample size
216293

Study quality details

Study design
Retrospective cohort
Sample size
216293
Randomization
no
Blinding
not stated
Comparator
not stated
Follow up duration
5 years
Outcome type
hard
Replication
not assessed (auto)
Consistency with other evidence
not assessed (auto)
Population applicability
INDIRECT
Statistical precision
CI reported: 95% CI 0
Risk of bias
not assessed (auto)
Funding conflicts
unclear
Peer review status
yes
02Funding

Funding and conflicts

Funding
not reported in abstract
Industry funded
Unclear
Manufacturer
None identified
Sponsor role
not reported in abstract
Author conflicts
not available in metadata
Independent replication
unknown

Funding is shown on every study and never used to score it.

04Source

The source, as retrieved

Abstract

[AIMS] The comparative association of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) with incident atrial fibrillation (AF) or atrial flutter remains uncertain, particularly with early use of both classes. We compared three initial treatment strategies in adults with type 2 diabetes. [METHODS] We emulated a three-arm target trial using population-based healthcare data from 2015-2025. Participants were assigned to SGLT2i without GLP-1RA, GLP-1RA without SGLT2i, or early combined therapy according to dispensings during a 30-day treatment-assignment period. Follow-up began at the end of this period using a landmark design. Treatment groups were balanced using inverse probability of treatment weighting, and cumulative incidence was estimated using weighted Aalen-Johansen methods accounting for competing mortality. [RESULTS] Among 216,293 participants, 114,572 received SGLT2i without GLP-1RA, 91,524 received GLP-1RA without SGLT2i, and 10,197 received early combined therapy. At 5 years, cumulative AF or atrial flutter incidence was 4.3%, 4.8%, and 4.2% among participants receiving SGLT2i without GLP-1RA, GLP-1RA without SGLT2i, and early combined therapy, respectively. SGLT2i without GLP-1RA was associated with lower risk than GLP-1RA without SGLT2i (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.83-0.94), while risk was similar between SGLT2i without GLP-1RA and combined therapy (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.84-1.19). [CONCLUSIONS] Among adults with type 2 diabetes, treatment strategies incorporating SGLT2i were associated with a lower risk of incident AF or atrial flutter than GLP-1RA without SGLT2i. These findings extend the cardiovascular evidence supporting SGLT2i and provide new comparative data regarding early combined use of SGLT2i and GLP-1RA.

Where this record came from

SourceRetrievedIdentifier
pubmedSep 13, 202642700963
first ingestion