Metabolic HealthSGLT2 Inhibitors Raise Urinary Yeast Rates Without Increasing UTI Hospitalizations
SGLT2 inhibitors help treat diabetes, heart failure, and kidney disease, but their effects on urinary infections remain a concern. Researchers compared Israeli adults starting these drugs with adults starting GLP-1 receptor agonists. Yeast-positive urine cultures were more frequent with SGLT2 inhibitors: about three times as frequent in adults with diabetes and nearly eight times as frequent in those without diabetes, although the latter estimate was imprecise. Some bacteria were also detected more often, but the major bacterial group responsible for urinary infections showed no increased rate. Hospitalizations for urinary infections remained uncommon and did not increase. These findings support continued treatment when indicated, while highlighting yeast in urine as a safety issue needing further study. Positive cultures do not necessarily indicate symptomatic infection. This observational study cannot establish causation, and this summary uses only the abstract.
