Clinical Outcomes with GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Patients with Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, there remains uncertainty about the efficiency of GLP-1 RAs in patients with heart failure (HF).

Randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) that reported the effect of GLP-1 RAs on prognosis in patients with HF were identified by searching databases. The primary outcome was defined as MACE. Trail Sequential Analysis (TSA) was used to evaluate the reality and authenticity.

Nine RCTs involving 8920 patients with HF were included. GLP-1 RAs significantly reduced the risk of MACE compared with placebo (hazard ratio [HR] 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77–0.98) in HF coexisting with T2DM. The benefit was not observed in all-cause death (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.84–1.15), hospitalization for heart failure (HR 1.04, 95% CI 0.89–1.22), cardiovascular death (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.79–1.16), myocardial infarction (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.71–1.08), stroke (HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.75–1.43) and death or hospitalization for HF (HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.78–1.46). GLP-1 RAs did not improve the change in LVEF (mean difference [MD]): − 0.86, p = 0.12, left-ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) (MD: 3.54, p = 0.11), left-ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) (MD: 2.78, p = 0.07) or N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) (MD: − 140.36, p = 0.08).

However, GLP-1 RAs significantly increased the change in the 6-min walk test (MWT) distance (MD: 19.74, p = 0.002). In the subgroup analyses, human GLP-1 RAs, but not nonhuman GLP-1 RAs, reduced the risk of MACE in patients with HF (p interaction = 0.11). Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) showed moderate certainty for MACE, all-cause death and hospitalization for HF. Trail Sequential Analysis revealed that there may be a high possibility of false positive results for MACE.

Compared with placebo, GLP-1 RAs may reduce the risk of MACE in patients with HF coexisting with T2DM, with a more significant efficiency of human GLP-1 RAs. More RCTs are needed to assess the cardiovascular benefits of GLP-1 RAs in HF, regardless of T2DM.

The protocol for this meta-analysis is registered on PROSPERO [CRD42022357886].

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