• Ryan B Dull, Mikayla L Spangler, Emily L Knezevich, and Britney M Lau.
• 1 Department of Pharmacy Practice, Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Omaha, NE, USA.
• J Pharm Pract. 2019 Apr 1; 32 (2): 240-243.

Introduction And ObjectivePostmarketing reports and warnings of serious adverse events such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) have raised concern regarding the safety of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i). This report describes 2 cases of symptomatic SGLT2i-associated euglycemic DKA (euDKA) leading to hospitalization in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) previously well controlled on oral medications.Case ReportsSubject 1 is a 55-year-old female admitted with euDKA precipitated by infection and managed with intravenous insulin. This case was notable for a delayed diagnosis of euDKA and lack of clinical improvement despite withholding dapagliflozin. Subject 2 is a 62-year-old male admitted with euDKA precipitated by infection. His clinical condition improved rapidly and euDKA responded to withdrawal of empagliflozin alone.DiscussionApplying the Naranjo adverse medication reaction probability scale to each case (subject 1 score = 3 points; subject 2 score = 4 points) suggests these are possible adverse reactions to SGLT2i. Data from randomized controlled trials suggest DKA events in adults with type 2 DM receiving SGLT2i are rare and similar to placebo. However, data from a large cohort suggest these events occur more frequently and are associated with a 2-fold increased risk of DKA.ConclusionThis class of medications may be associated with a higher real-world risk of DKA in adults with type 2 DM than previously reported. Patients prescribed these medications should receive vigilant assessment for features of traditional DKA as well as euDKA.

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