Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study

Sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, and incident atrial fibrillation in Type 2 diabetes: a population-based target trial emulation

Eur J Prev CardiolPublished

  • Target trial emulation (population-based cohort study)
  • three-arm
  • landmark design
  • inverse probability of treatment weighting
  • competing mortality accounted for

Authors' conclusion

Among adults with type 2 diabetes, treatment strategies incorporating SGLT2i were associated with a lower risk of incident AF or atrial flutter than GLP-1RA without SGLT2i.

Study context

Population
Adults with T2DM, population-based healthcare data 2015–2025
Participants
216,293 adults
Exposure
SGLT2i without GLP-1RA vs GLP-1RA without SGLT2i vs early combined therapy
  • SGLT2i without GLP-1RAn = 114,572reference
  • GLP-1RA without SGLT2in = 91,524
  • Early combined therapyn = 10,197
Outcome
Incident atrial fibrillation (AF) or atrial flutter (cumulative incidence)
Follow-up
5 years

Main finding

As reported in the abstract

Cumulative AF or atrial flutter incidence
Relative risk (95% CI)
SGLT2i without GLP-1RA vs GLP-1RA without SGLT2i
0.88(0.83–0.94)
SGLT2i without GLP-1RA vs Early combined therapyrisk similar
1.00(0.84–1.19)

Observational data: associations, not effects.

Original publication

Sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, and incident atrial fibrillation in Type 2 diabetes: a population-based target trial emulation. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 6 September 2026. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwag478

Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it