Dapagliflozin and Empagliflozin in Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction: A Retrospective Study

OBJECTIVE: Dapagliflozin 10 mg and empagliflozin 10 mg have been recommended to treat heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and the purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of them in HFrEF. METHODS: Two hundred and thirty-three patients with HFrEF admitted to a tertiary hospital of Zhengzhou and commenced to take dapagliflozin 10 mg/d or empagliflozin 10 mg/d were retrospectively included and separated into the dapagliflozin group (n=105) and the empagliflozin group (n=128). Their cardiac function indices before and after therapy were compared, together with the ratios of adverse events during therapy. RESULTS: After 6 months of therapy, left ventricular ejection fraction was higher, and the ratio of New York Heart Association functional class III or IV, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide were lower in the empagliflozin group than the dapagliflozin group (P<0.05). During 6 months of therapy, there were no statistically significant differences for the ratios of hypotension, deteriorating kidney function, and genitourinary infections between the dapagliflozin and empagliflozin groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Despite its many limitations, this study suggested that different SGLT2 inhibitors might have differences regarding efficacy in HFrEF. We look forward to future studies to verify our conjectures.