The clinical efficacy and safety of dapagliflozin in patients with diabetic nephropathy

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of dapagliflozin in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy (DN). METHODS: A total of 120 DN patients admitted to our hospital from June 2017 to March 2020 were divided into control and experimental groups, with 60 cases in each group. The control group received valsartan, and the experimental group received dapagliflozin for 3 months. Body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), serum creatinine (sCr), uric acid (UA), urine microalbumin (uMA), urine creatinine (uCr), and bilateral kidney function were compared before and after treatment, and adverse reactions in both groups were observed. Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels were also evaluated. RESULTS: After treatment, except for BMI in the control group, all indexes in both groups were significantly improved. The BMI, HbA1c, sCr, UA, and uMA/uCr ratios of the experimental group were lower than those of the control group. Serum albumin (sAlb) levels were increased in both groups, and the experimental group showed a significant difference compared with the control group. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) levels were increased in both groups, and the experimental group was higher than the control group, with no significant differences. Serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels in both groups were lower, and the experimental group was significantly lower than the control group. No serious adverse reactions were observed in either group. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of dapagliflozin was demonstrated by its ability to improve diabetes, prevent nephropathy exacerbation, and reduce symptomatic reactions. The low rate of adverse reactions makes dapagliflozin a very safe medication.