Evaluation of the Effects of Empagliflozin on Serum Levels of Triglycerides and Cholesterol in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertriglyceridemia: A Prospective Study

Objective: Sodium-glucose cotransporter -2 (SGLT2) inhibitors may improve lipid panels in addition to lowering blood sugar. This research examined how empagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, affected triglycerides in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with hypertriglyceridemia. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted at the Endocrinology Clinic of Shahid Rahimi Hospital in Khorramabad, Iran, in 2020. Thirty-eight patients were included using convenient sampling. The patients’ information including age, gender, body mass index (BMI), Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), 2-hour postprandial blood sugar, serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), serum insulin level, serum creatinine Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), Blood pressure, and urine albumin before and three months after receiving empagliflozin 10mg tablets were collected from the clinic medical archives and compared using paired t-test in SPSS software version 22. Results: BMI, microalbuminuria, BUN, FBS, 2-hour postprandial blood sugar, and HbA1c were improved significantly (P 0.05) after treatment with empagliflozin. In terms of lipid panels, triglyceride, cholesterol, and LDL levels were improved significantly after treatment with empagliflozin (P 0.05). HDL levels increased following the treatment but the difference was not statistically significant. There was no linear correlation between HbA1c and HDL (P= 0.183) or triglyceride (P= 0.947) levels. Conclusion: Empagliflozin improves triglycerides and cholesterol levels in patients with T2DM in addition to its antihyperglycemic effects. It also reduces BMI, blood pressure, BUN, and microalbuminuria.