CONGRESS ABSTRACT

SGLT2i have become a cornerstone of drug therapy in heart failure. Among the potential side effects of SGLT2i, urinary tract infections (UTI) remain an open issue for their prescription, particularly in the elderly population. Aim: To determine the incidence and predictive factors of UTI in elderly heart failure patients on SGLT2i therapy in the care of the Heart Failure Unit of the AOU Careggi, Florence. Materials and methods: We performed a retrospective study enrolling 92 heart failure patients in the care of our Unit to determine the incidence and predictive factors of UTI. The study population was analyzed for clinical characteristics, any associated diuretic therapy and hospitalizations for all causes prior to introduction or concomitant. We recorded the incidence of urinalysis suggestive of UTI and the incidence of symptomatic UTI sometimes requiring antibiotic therapy, and the latency between initiation of SGLT2i therapy and the onset of symptomatic UTI or urinalysis suggestive of UTI finding in the absence of symptoms. Conclusions: Our study shows a higher incidence of UTI in the study population than reported in most randomized clinical trials. Hospitalization close to the introduction of therapy appears to be an independent predictor for the occurrence of UTI requiring antibiotic therapy and for urinalysis suggestive of UTI, while female sex appears to be associated with a higher incidence of urinalysis suggestive of UTI in the absence of symptoms. Finally, introducing SGLT2i therapy in hospital appears to correlate with earlier onset of UTI than its prescription in the outpatient setting.