SGLT-2 Inhibitors, ACP 2024, and an Anniversary

Author

Ashley Chambers
May 24, 2024

Hello! Welcome back to The Friday Sign Out - a newsletter for primary care physicians and advanced practice providers.

Whew! It’s been awhile! We moved at the end of March, and it definitely threw things for a loop. I underestimated how much a move (even just less than a couple miles away) disrupts your routine. We are feeling settled now, thank goodness! Immediately following the move, my husband and I both traveled individually and then as a family - to add to the chaos. A highlight, though, was the 2024 ACP meeting in Boston. More on that below. Spoiler - it was great! I hope you are having a great spring and month of May so far. I love the anticipation of summer 😎 

Here’s what I’m reading and thinking about this week.

In the News

This study published May 8 in The BMJ compared 3 different second-line diabetes medications in effectiveness. SGLT-2 inhibitors proved more effective in improving glycemic control, weight and blood pressure when added to metformin compared to sulfonylureas and DDP4-inhibitors used in conjunction with metformin. It’s great to have another tool in the toolkit as we work to help our patients treat their diabetes. You can read the article here and there is a summary from ACP below.

SGLT-2 inhibitors more effective than sulfonylureas, DPP-4 inhibitors as second-line therapy

Patients with type 2 diabetes who added a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor to metformin had greater reductions in HbA1c level and body mass at one year than those who added a sulfonylurea or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, a U.K. study found.

immattersacp.org/weekly/archives/2024/05/14/4.htm?utm_campaign=FY23-24_NEWS_IMMATTERS_DOMESTIC_MEMBERS_ONLY_051424_EML&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

In Your Practice

Consider this your sign to pull out the calendar and plan your next CME trip! I’m going to take a few minutes to chat about the 2024 ACP meeting. I’ve attended a variety of conferences over the years (I wrote about some of them here), but the national ACP meeting was different. It was a giant pep rally for internists and I loved it! There had to be almost 1,000 attendees and each hour, there were at least 5-10 lectures to choose from. There was an exhibition hall where you could walk around, visit with vendors and pick up swag. All the lectures I attended were fabulous - excellent speakers and great useful content.

It was awesome to be surrounded by docs, all excited to learn and grow in the practice of medicine. I know this feeling isn’t unique to ACP - so find a conference in a city you’ve been meaning to check out and get it on the books! Plus it’s so nice to step away from the clinic and the inbox. It was a much needed break!

Here are a few pics from my time in Boston:

In Your Heart

I wanted to share here that this little newsletter has now been out in the world for over 1 year! The first edition came out in April of 2023. I told myself I would keep it going for at least 1 year, and I’m proud to hit that milestone. Life gets in the way of a post every now and then, but I’m glad you are all here and reading. Thank you!

If you have any ideas or suggestions for content, please pass them along. You can just reply to this email in your inbox.

I will leave you with a quote cited in Dr. Eric Topol’s keynote talk at the ACP meeting. He discussed an article in JAMA from 1927, The Care of the Patient. The author, Dr. Peabody, is discussing training of doctors and the necessity of understanding and learning both the art and the science of medicine.

Time, sympathy and understanding must be lavishly dispensed, but the reward is to be found in the personal bond which forms the greatest satisfaction of the practice of medicine. One of the essential qualities of the clinician is interest in humanity, for the secret of the care of the patient is in caring for the patient.

Francis W. Peabody, MD

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Ashley